Lazarus Rising
by MJLCoyoteStarrk
Summary: One day, the world we knew died and we were left to fight to survive in a world gone mad.  Theme: "Highschool of the Dead" by Kishida Kyodan & the Akeboshi Rockets
1. Prologue: The Night Before

**Lazarus Rising**

**Prologue: "The Night Before"**

_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends_

_Not with a bang but a whimper._

_-T.S. Eliot,_ "The Hollow Men"

"The night before the world came to an end I stayed up late, doing homework before going to bed and being unable to fall asleep."

The night before the world came to an end, the world went about its usual routine.

_**Z-Day, 1:23 PM**_

"We have to hurry," he shouts.

Moans rose around them as they ran on the rooftop of the school.

"They're surrounding us," she cries back.

"No shit," the third person shouts.

"Quick, we have to get up the stairs."

"AAAAAAAAH, let go of me, you piece of shit."

There arises the sound of something heavy and hard striking the head and breaking the skull. A muffled moan rose into the sky and then the thud of a body hitting the ground.

"Son of a bitch bit me."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I mean, fuck, Mr. Sawatari bit me so I guess one more won't hurt."

"Let's just get going."

"Yeah, come on, I'll help you up."

"Thanks."

The moans rise into the sky. The boy turns around and sees his fellow classmates stumbling towards them.

"This is…this is so…FUCKED UP!" he screams.

The dead moan in agreement.

**End of Prologue**

**A.N.: Well, I've officialy begun my little Bleach Horror Story. I pretty much got the idea to write this from watching the anime "Highschool of the Dead" and I purposefully left who the trio is ambiguous since that will be answered in the first official chapter.**


	2. Chapter 1: Dead Spring

**Lazarus Rising**

**Chapter 1: Dead Spring**

_April is the cruellest month, breeding_

_Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing_

_Memory and desire, stirring_

_Dull roots with spring rain._

_-T.S. Eliot, _"The Waste Land"

_**12:45 PM**_

"Ichigo, what are you doing out here?"

"Hey Tatsuki," Ichigo said as he raised his head.

"Are you out here moping again? God, you're becoming just as bad as Emospada."

"You know, now's not a good time."

"Honestly, you can't just…just keep moping like this. So, it didn't work out. So what? God, I can't believe I have to talk to you like this when I had to do the same thing when you broke up with…"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class or something?"

"Not during this period and since our instructor's out sick, we got a free period. How about you? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I don't want to go."

"Typical," Tatsuki said and walked away. "You know, it's partially your fault that she decided to break-up with you."

"Thanks for making me feel better."

Tatsuki let out a snort and re-entered the building. Ichigo sighed and leaned over the railing of the side stairwell. He could see that the trees were blooming and the spring flowers were beginning to open from their winter's slumber. April really was a cruel month.

_**Five Days Before**_

_"Ichigo, there's something I need to tell you," Rukia said._

_"Oh boy, did I do something wrong?" Ichigo asked and laughed, but he fell silent when he saw that Rukia was not looking at him._

_"Ichigo…I don't think this is working."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You see. That's exactly what I'm talking about. I've tried to talk to you about my problems and you never listen."_

_"Rukia, I do listen," Ichigo said._

_"Alright, then what did I tell you yesterday? No, strike that. What did I tell you this morning?"_

_"Uh…"_

_"You see. You don't care. You pretend to listen. You pretend to be concerned. But when it comes to actually being there for me when I need it… You know what, I've had enough. It's over between us."_

_"How long?" Ichigo asked._

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"I didn't want to say anything about it in case it was nothing, but obviously I was wrong."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"I saw you with Kaien the other day."_

_"Oh," Rukia said and lowered her head._

_"How long were you thinking about breaking up with me?"_

_"I made my decision over the weekend. I've told you so now it's official. We're through and Kaien and I are together."_

_"So, you decided to get together with Kaien _before_ breaking up with me?"_

_"You're not going to pull any of this macho bullshit on me. You did the same thing to Orihime when we started out and I didn't treat you like shit about it. Well…it's your turn to be on the receiving end."_

_"I guess so," Ichigo said trying to sound tough but feeling as though he would shatter._

_"I hope that we can still be friends," Rukia said and walked off._

_Ichigo was about to say something when all of a sudden…_

_**12:49 PM**_

…there came a noise at the front gate. Ichigo looked up and saw someone banging against the gate, as though trying to get in. Ichigo narrowed his eyes in order to try to get a better look. He only saw a man dressed in a business suit walking into the gate.

_What's his problem?_

"Excuse me, sir," someone called out.

Ichigo looked and saw that some of the teachers were making their way to the gate. He saw that the muscular coach, Kagine was in the lead.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Kagine said. "If you need help, then I'll be more than happy to call someone, but you're causing a disturbance."

"Mr. Kagine, perhaps I should take care of this," one of the other teachers said.

"Nah, I'll take care of this," Kagine said. "Sometimes they just need a firm hand to get the message."

Kagine moved forward and reached out through the bars and grabbed the man by the shirt. One of the female teachers gasped in surprise.

"Mr. Kagine," she said. "What are you doing? You could get the school in trouble."

"Don't worry about it," Kagine said. "Sometimes they just need to be…AAAAAAAAAAH!" he shrieked.

Ichigo didn't see what caused it. One moment Mr. Kagine had the stranger's shirt and the next he was falling to the ground holding to his arm. The other teachers rushed around him. Ichigo could hear them calling out either telling each other that someone needed to get help or asking Mr. Kagine if he was alright.

Then Ichigo saw something strange. He saw Mr. Kagine sit up and bite one of the other teachers on the neck. The woman screamed in pain and blood began to pour from her wound. Ichigo's eyes went wide with shock. He had never seen such a thing happen before. He didn't know what he was doing and so he merely ran back into the school and raced to his classroom.

_**12:53 PM**_

_Seven minutes until lunch,_ Orihime thought as she copied down the notes on the board.

Her mind began to wonder to the delicious wasabi and pickled ham and red bean paste sandwich that she brought with her. She saw that the teacher was droning on as ever before and the hands on the clock seemed to slow down. She could feel her stomach tighten and wish to growl. She looked around and hit herself in the stomach a couple of times to keep it from growling.

"What are you doing?" a monotonous voice asked from beside her.

She looked and saw the pale-faced boy whom everyone called "Emospada" looking at her from the corners of his emerald green eyes. Orihime blushed slightly and lowered her head.

"I was…uh…just…uh," she muttered, trying to come up with any excuse she could.

"Obviously you do not know either," Ulquiorra said and turned his attention back to the teacher.

Orihime blushed and mumbled slightly under her breath when the door banged open. She looked up and saw Ichigo rush in and head towards where Rukia and Kaien were sitting. She saw that Tatsuki was looking at the three and frowned.

"Mr. Kurosaki, what do you think you are doing? You're disturbing my class," the teacher at the front said, but Ichigo didn't say anything.

"Something's happening," Ichigo said to Rukia.

"What are you talking about?" Kaien asked.

"I don't know what's going on, but people are dying. This is no joke, Kaien. Kaien, in all of the years that we've known each other, have you ever known me to play a joke like this? People are dying and we need to get the fuck out."

_**12:55 PM**_

Starrk, who had been taking one of his naps in class, looked at Ichigo out of the corner of his eyes. His blue-grey eyes narrowed slightly at what Ichigo said and he could tell that Ichigo was telling the truth. He looked ahead and saw that Harribel was also listening and that she was also considering what he was saying.

"Listen to me, Rukia," Ichigo said. "I'm not telling you this to scare you."

"Gee, you sure had me fooled about that," Rukia said.

"THIS IS STILL CLASS-TIME!" the teacher yelled. "If you want to talk, wait until lunch."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ichigo cried out to him.

"That does it…DETENTION!"

"Yeah, like that means anything right now," Ichigo said. "People just got killed at the front gate and you're worried about your stupid li'l class. Shit, look at them, I have their attention more than you ever could Mr. Boring."

"Are you serious about…about people getting killed?" Kaien asked.

"Yeah…like I would risk expulsion just to tell you some bull shit story," Ichigo said. "We have to get the fuck outa here RIGHT NOW!"

"What are you talking about?" Rukia asked. "I don't understand what…"

Ichigo didn't think what he was doing. Instead, he just slapped her across the face. Everyone looked at Ichigo in surprise. This was not like him. Starrk knew that something was wrong. He didn't know Ichigo that well, but he knew that he would never hurt a girl unless he had a reason.

"Just…listen to me," Ichigo panted. "I'm sorry, but you've got to listen to me."

"Alright," Kaien said.

_**12:57 PM-Group 1**_

"So tell me, what's going on?" Rukia asked.

"There was someone at the gate," Ichigo said. "I didn't get a good chance to look at what happened, but a bunch of the PE teachers and coaches went out and something happened. Now, they're killing each other."

"In that case," Kaien said. "We need to get some weapons. Rukia, you're Vice Captain of the Martial Arts Club, right?"

"Yeah," Rukia said.

Kaien went over to the janitor's closet and opened the doors. He brought out a mop and broke the mop head off. He handed it to Rukia who looked at the twisted bit of metal at the end. She couldn't help but think that it was a little bit like a spear. Ichigo however went to his own locker and pulled out a baseball bat that he kept there in case he ever wanted to practice on his swings.

"What about you?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll be fine. I've got a black belt."

"Good for you," Ichigo said. "Hey Rukia, doesn't your brother work for the police?"

"Yeah, he does, but I…"

"Here," Ichigo said and handed her his cell phone. "School rules are meant to be broken."

"Thanks," Rukia said and dialed the emergency number. She held the phone to her ear and waited. Ichigo and Kaien looked at her as she held the phone away from her and they could hear the automated voice on the other end.

"YOU MAY STAY ON THE LINE OR TRY AGAIN LATER…EMERGENCY SERVICE IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING AN UNUSUALLY HIGH CALL VOLUME…YOU MAY STAY…"

"What the fuck is going on?" Kaien asked and looked at Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't know how to answer that. That was when the PA system came on.

_**12:57 PM-Group 2**_

Starrk made his way out of the classroom. Something was going on. He never saw Ichigo react that way and he knew that the only way to get out was as soon as possible before everything went to Hell. He looked around and stepped into the hall.

"Where do you think you're going, Coyote?" someone asked.

"Oh…uh…hey Bel," he said and looked at Harribel. "I was uh…trying to get out of here."

"I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thought of that," Harribel said. "Come on. Let's go before the panic starts.

"What about your friends?"

"They'll be fine…I hope. Now come on."

"Alright," Starrk said.

The two rushed down the hall just as the PA system broke out.

_**12:59 PM**_

"THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR ALL STUDENTS. WE ARE EXPERIENCING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. ALL STUDENTS ARE TO REMAIN CALM AND FOLLOW THEIR TEACHERS' INSTRU—WAIT WHAT? NO…GET BACK…GET THE FUCK BACK…NO…NO!"

Silence fell over the system and over the entire school.

"YAAAAH! AAAAAAAAH! JESUS…JESUS FUCKING CHRI—!"

The intercom fell silent for good. In one of the classrooms a teacher brushed his hand against a piece of chalk. The chalk rolled across the desk and hesitated at the edge before taking the plunge to the tiled floor.

_**1:00 PM**_

Chaos reigned inside the school.

_**1:01 PM-Group 1**_

"Shit," Rukia moaned.

They could hear the screams and the sounds of people being pushed into lockers or down stairs. Ichigo could only stare in the direction and realized how lucky they were to be heading in the opposite direction.

"Things are falling apart," Kaien moaned. "We can't exactly go that way. Our only hope is to go to the faculty building and just keep moving. Perhaps we can hold up on the roof until things quiet down a bit."

"Good idea," Rukia said.

Ichigo nodded. He felt the same way, but he knew that if he suggested it, then Rukia would have most likely shot it down.

_**1:03 PM-Group 3**_

"Shit, where's Harribel?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know, Mila Rose?" another of the three girls asked as they fought against the current like three salmon swimming upstream.

"You two are impossible," the third girl said. "I don't understand why Harribel is friends with you in the first place."

"SHUT UP SUNG-SUN!" the other two cried out in rage only to cry out again as the oncoming rush of students trying to get out pushed them back some more.

"Damn it, this is getting out of hand," Mila Rose said.

"Try moving sideways," Sung-Sun said from against the wall.

"We don't exactly need you to give us advice right now, Sung-Sun," Apacci snarled, but did as Sung-Sun suggested.

The rush of students was beginning to lessen a bit. But as Mila Rose and Apacci reached the wall, another rush of students began. This time they were running up the stairs, screaming bloody-murder. The three looked and saw the students rushing into the on-coming flow of students trying to go downstairs. The two groups met and confusion rang out again.

"Jesus Christ," one of the students coming upstairs said as he leaned against the wall. "They're…they're killing the students," he moaned.

"What's going on?" Sung-Sun asked.

"Oh dear God," the boy moaned as he ran his fingers through his brown hair.

"Snap out of it," Apacci said and slapped the student across the face. The boy looked at her in surprise. "Look at me. What's your name?"

"Keigo…Keigo Asano," Keigo said.

"Alright, Keigo, tell us what the fuck's going on."

"THAT!" Keigo screamed and pointed at the stairs where students were suddenly being grabbed by shambling figures.

The screams became even greater than before. Students pushed forward in either direction. Apacci looked around and realized that they would be caught in a death-trap very soon. Then she saw that she was standing next to a ladder. She looked up and smiled.

"We may have a way out of this after all," she said.

_**1:04 PM-Group 1**_

Ichigo, Rukia, and Kaien rushed onto the walkway between buildings. The screams were loud out here, but so were the moans. Ahead they could see the faculty building and a figure shuffling towards them.

"Holy shit, it's Mr. Sawatari," Ichigo muttered.

"Why's he moving like that?" Rukia asked. "I mean, he's old, but he's not that old."

The figure stopped and let out a moan as it rushed at them. As it got closer, Ichigo saw that Mr. Sawatari's skin was extremely pale to where it almost bordered on grey or ice-blue. But the eyes seemed glazed like the eyes of a blind man.

"Mr. Sawatari?" Rukia called out.

"RUKIA, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Kaien shouted.

However, before Rukia could move, Mr. Sawatari reached out for her. Rukia reacted purely out of instinct and put the mop pole she held out in front of her, barring Mr. Sawatari from truly reaching her. However, the weight of Mr. Sawatari's body pressing against the pole forced her to take a couple of steps back.

"RUKIA, USE IT LIKE A SPEAR!" Ichigo cried out.

Rukia looked at the end and saw the twisted bit of metal that was still attached. She suddenly got the idea, but another push from Mr. Sawatari forced her to move back. This infuriated Rukia since she was not used to having to give up ground in any fight.

"Don't…FUCK WITH ME!" she cried out and pushed Mr. Sawatari away. "I'm…Vice Captain of the…MARTIAL ARTS CLUB!" she shouted and immediately leapt into the air and sideways kicked Mr. Sawatari in the chest.

"YES!" Kaien and Ichigo cried out.

Mr. Sawatari only got up with a moan and shuffled forwards. Rukia's rage caused a rush of adrenaline and she did not think of what she was doing. She pointed the mop handle at Mr. Sawatari with the twisted piece of metal pointing forward. With a yell, she rushed forward and impaled Mr. Sawatari with the weapon. However, Mr. Sawatari only tried to move forward, impaling himself even deeper.

"Holy…" Ichigo muttered.

"…FUCK!" Rukia yelled in surprise. "How…how could he keep going? I impaled his heart. He should be dead."

"I knew it…" Kaien muttered. "He's already dead."

"Shit," Ichigo muttered. "What is this, some kind of George A. Romero movie?"

"A little help here," Rukia said as she tried to get the spear free.

"Hang on," Kaien said and rushed at Mr. Sawatari.

He got behind him and held him in a headlock. Rukia yanked the spear free and saw that the metal head was dripping with blood. Ichigo raised his bat, not knowing what he was going to do.

"KAIEN, LET GO OF HIM!" Ichigo called.

"Relax, I got him," Kaien said.

However, Mr. Sawatari seemed to react at Kaien's voice and began to turn his head. Ichigo winced as he heard the sounds of bone snapping as the head turned at a radius that it was never meant to turn. For a moment the image of the little girl in _The Exorcist _floated to his mind and he expected Mr. Sawatari to begin spewing pea soup all over Kaien at any moment.

"What the fuck?" Kaien moaned as he saw Mr. Sawatari's head turning until he found himself looking into Mr. Sawatari's glazed eyes.

"KAIEN!" Rukia screamed.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU MOTHER-FUCKER!" Ichigo screamed.

There was no warning. There was no time to react. There was no time for Kaien to get away as Mr. Sawatari's head leaned back and then struck out like a snake's. Kaien screamed in pain as Mr. Sawatari's teeth bit into his shoulder.

"FUCKER!" Ichigo screamed and brought the bat up and struck Mr. Sawatari in the back.

He could hear something like the sound of breaking glass and knew that he had crushed Mr. Sawatari's spine. The old teacher's body fell in a crumpled heap, but it was now trying to crawl towards Ichigo. Ichigo screamed and brought the baseball bat down again and again on the creature's head until a pool of blood mixed with bits of skull and brain was spreading from the truly-dead teacher's corpse.

"Come on, we have to go," Kaien said as he struggled to his feet.

"Will you be alright?"

"Yeah…yeah…I'll be fine," Kaien said. "Let's hurry up."

_**1:09 PM-Group 3**_

"Got it," Apacci said and pulled the hairpin out of the lock.

In the time that she first saw the trapdoor, they were joined by another student who introduced himself as Mizuiro and who was friends with Keigo and Ichigo. Now, all five were on the ladder, trying to get as high up as they could. Below, the screams continued and now blood was beginning to seep towards them and they could hear the sounds of teeth biting into flesh.

"Great," Mila Rose said. "Now get the fucking trapdoor open."

"Whatever," Apacci said. She unhooked the padlock from the trapdoor above and pushed the hatch open. "Happy?"

"Very," Mila Rose said and urged Apacci to get moving.

One by one, the group of five climbed the rest of the ladder and stood on the roof. They looked around and they saw that the only way to get from building to building was by using the metal awnings as bridges. However, when they looked out over Karakura Town, they stood in silence.

"Holy shit," Sung-Sun moaned.

_**1:10 PM-Group 2**_

"All clear," Starrk said and stepped out into the deserted hall.

"My God," Harribel said. "It looks like a war zone."

"They must have really panicked," Starrk whispered as he surveyed the damage.

Bags were strewn over the floor. Windows were broken. Even the rows of lockers were knocked over. The worst of it was that the floor was covered in blood and gore. Harribel looked in horror at the torn arm clad in one of the male student uniforms draped over the window ledge. Starrk quickly pulled her towards him in order to hide the sight.

"Don't look at it, Bel," he whispered.

They stood like that for a while before breaking apart. Harribel looked at Starrk and turned her head away. The last thing she wanted him to see was her blushing like a schoolgirl at a time like this.

"So, where do we go now?" Starrk asked.

"We head to whichever classrooms have tools that we can use," she said. "Something like woodshop or mechanical engineering or…"

"Or something like handicrafts?" Starrk asked.

"Yeah," Harribel said, "preferably the types of handicrafts that involve nail-guns and drills. I think I know where we need to go. Come on, Sir Sleeps-A-Lot," she said and grabbed Starrk's arm.

"Where are we going?"

"To get some supplies," she said.

_**1:10 PM-Group 1**_

"Kaien, are you alright?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll be fine," Kaien said.

Ichigo thought that he didn't look as though he would be fine. He was worried for his friend as he heard him gasping for breath and his body was slimed with sweat. However, Kaien kept on his feet and he kept moving.

Ichigo heard someone scream and he looked down to the courtyard below to see a small group of students trying to fight back a larger group of students. Then, the fighting students were overwhelmed. He looked away as the sound of shredding clothes and flesh filled the air.

"This is fucked up," Ichigo moaned.

"No shit," Kaien said.

"Let's just hurry to the roof," Rukia said.

"Alright," Kaien said. "Come on, let's go."

_**1:13 PM-Channel 7 News**_

"We interrupt this scheduled program with a special report. We have just received word that an outbreak of an unknown and very contagious virus is being reported throughout areas around the globe. So far, the virus has a 100% mortality rate and rumors of the dead coming back to life have been unconfirmed. Local authorities are urging civilians to stay indoors and away from windows. We'll continue to give you updates as they become available to us."

"WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR DAILY SCHEDULED PROGRAM"

_**1:15 PM-Group 1**_

"How long has it been?" Ichigo asked.

"It's been 15 minutes since the principal's announcement," she said.

"Damn, it feels like a life-time," Ichigo said.

"Anyways, let's just keep moving," Kaien said.

"Someone should look at that," Ichigo said.

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"I call bullshit on that one," Ichigo said as they climbed the stairs that led to the roof.

"Well…let's see what's what," Kaien said and opened the door.

The roof area was deserted. The nets of the basketball hoops swung slightly in the breeze. The three stepped out and stood in horror at the sight that they saw.

"Oh God, it's like a disaster movie," Ichigo muttered.

The three looked out and saw tall plumes of smoke throughout Karakura Town. They walked closer to the edge and looked down. The streets were clogged with traffic and there were signs of wrecks at just about every intersection. They could hear screams from below and the wailing of sirens. They saw people looting businesses or others and no one was stopping them. People were running and were attacking each other.

Then they felt a strong wind coming towards them. They turned and saw a group of five military helicopters fly close to them. Rukia shouted to them and tried to wave them down, but the helicopters did not even turn around. That was when they noticed the army helicopters weren't the only ones in the sky. The sky was alive with helicopters and not just from the military and news crews. Private helicopters were also in the mix.

"Oh…dear…God," Ichigo moaned. "It's like _Apocalypse Now_."

"I was thinking more along the lines of _2012_," Kaien said.

"Why…why don't they help us?" Rukia asked as she watched the departing helicopters.

"They're going elsewhere," Kaien said. "Maybe they can't help us."

"NO, they're the military," Rukia said. "They're…they're supposed to help us in case of an emergency."

"No they don't," Ichigo said and pointed to the courtyard below. "They know when a place is a lost-cause and I would say this place is a lost-cause."

Rukia looked down at the courtyard and saw that it was now strewn with ripped and mangled bodies that were trying to move. She looked away as she saw one of her friends being ripped apart below them screaming for someone to help her.

"Ichigo…I…"

"FUCK! They're up here too," Kaien said and saw the shambling shapes coming towards them.

"God damn it," Ichigo said and turned. "They're going to surround us."

"No wonder why they didn't land," Kaien said. "They must have seen the roof was crawling with them and we didn't even notice."

"Then we have to RUN!" Ichigo said and the three began to run.

_**1:23 PM-Group 3**_

"FUCK!" Mila Rose shouted. "COME BACK HERE YOU FUCKERS!"

"They can't hear you," Sung-Sun said as she watched the helicopters departing.

"Where are they heading?" Keigo asked.

"Probably to one of the nearby bases," Mizuiro said as he tried his cell phone. "Shit, all I'm getting is the busy signal."

"What are we going to do now?" Keigo asked.

"That's what I'm thinking about," Apacci said. "Now shut up and let me think."

"HA! You…thinking…that's a laugh," Mila Rose said.

"Oh shut up," Apacci said. "Harribel isn't here and we have to find a way to get to her."

"Maybe we can use the awnings," Sung-Sun said. "They're made out of metal and not plastic, right?"

"What are you getting at?"

"We can use them as bridges if we're careful. We can get to one of the buildings on campus that uses the roof as a recreational area and get down from there. I'm sure that we'll find Harribel somewhere."

"That's…that's actually a good idea," Apacci said.

"Alright, let's do it," Mila Rose said and looked at the ten-foot drop to one of the awnings. "You go first," she said to Apacci.

_**1:23 PM-Group 1**_

"We have to hurry," Kaien shouted.

The moans rose around them.

"They're surrounding us," Rukia shouted.

"No shit," Ichigo shouted.

They ran as fast they could. Ichigo swung his bat at any of the ghouls that got too close. Rukia thrust the mop handle out and sent some of the ghouls down to the ground. They ran until they reached the bottom of the stairs that led to observation deck that the science class sometimes used at night when they were learning astronomy.

"Quick, we have to get up the stairs," Ichigo said.

Kaien pushed Rukia ahead of him when one of the ghouls grabbed his arm and bit into the arm.

"AAAAAAAAH, let go of me, you piece of shit," Kaien snarled at the girl zombie that was tearing at his arm as though it was a drumstick from KFC.

Ichigo rushed forward and brought the bat down on the girl's head. The girl released a muffled moan before falling down to the ground.

"Son of a bitch bit me," Kaien said.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I mean, fuck, Mr. Sawatari bit me so I guess one more won't hurt."

"Let's just get going."

"Yeah," Rukia said as she reached them. "Come on, I'll help you up."

"Thanks," Kaien said and winced in pain.

Ichigo looked around and saw that the dead were beginning to gather at the base of the stairs, and stumble up towards them. Ichigo stood there and was relieved that they weren't that coordinated and were moving at a snail's pace.

"This is…" he began as he witnessed the sight below him. "This is so…FUCKED UP!"

The dead below moaned their agreement.

"Fuck you," Ichigo said. "I wasn't asking you to agree with me. I just want you to just drop…drop REDEAD!"

He made his way up and saw that Kaien was dragging out whatever he could find from the storage room.

"God, how much stuff did they put up here?" Rukia asked.

"Enough," Kaien said. "We can make a barrier and wait until things calm down."

"Do you even know how to make a barricade?" Ichigo asked.

"Well…I didn't say it had to be pretty," Kaien said and smiled.

"Alright, let's get this done," Ichigo said.

_**2:00 PM-Group 4**_

"It sounds quiet, Tatsuki," Orihime said.

"I know," Tatsuki said. "You stay here while I see what's going on."

"Be careful."

"You know it."

Tatsuki got up from the closet's floor and opened the door slightly. She poked her head out and looked one way and then the other. She took a step forward and then gestured for Orihime to follow. Orihime grabbed her bag and followed.

She stepped out into the hall and saw the massive amount of damage that the panicking students caused. She saw something on the floor and was about to see what it was when Tatsuki stood in front of her.

"You don't want to look at that," Tatsuki said.

"But what…?"

"You don't want to know. Come on. But, be sure to keep quiet."

The two walked forward. Tatsuki looked like a cat ready to attack a mouse. The hall was silent except for the ticking of the hall clock. They continued to move forward.

"Maybe they're gone," Orihime whispered.

That was when one of the doors opened. They yelled in surprise.

_**2:30 PM-Group 1**_

"GOD!" Kaien screamed and he fell into another coughing fit.

"Kaien," Rukia whispered.

Kaien threw his head forward and a stream of blood flowed out of his mouth. Rukia looked at the blood in horror.

"Shit…it's like the movies," Kaien moaned. "They bite you. It's over."

"Don't say that," Ichigo said.

"It's true though," Kaien said. "I'm as good as one of them. I can't see straight. I can hardly move. I can barely breathe. Fuck, I'm…I'm gonna die."

"NO YOU WON'T!" Rukia screamed at him.

"I'm gonna die and become one of them. I…I…Ichigo, come here."

"What is it?"

"Help me," he said and pointed to the railing at the far end.

"What are you talking about?"

"The fall…the fall should…should be enough to crush my head."

"No way," Ichigo said.

"I want you to. I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM!"

"You won't. This is real-life and real-life never happens like in the movies."

"Bull shit," Kaien said. "I will be…I'll turn against y-y-AAAAAGH!"

"Kaien, what's going on?" Rukia asked.

"GYAAAAAAAAA!" Kaien screamed and arched his back before slumping back to the ground.

"Kaien," Rukia whispered and moved forward. "Kaien…don't die…no…DON'T DIE!"

"Rukia…get away from him," Ichigo said and tightened his grip on the bat.

"No…he'll be fine…he won't turn…he won't become like…like them," Rukia muttered.

Ichigo looked down at the body of his friend and moved forward. Then he saw one of Kaien's hands twitch.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" he shouted.

Then Kaien began to get up.

"You see…he's…he's fine…he's…Kaien?"

Ichigo grabbed Rukia and dragged her away from Kaien. Kaien looked at them as he got up, but the eyes were dead. Ichigo knew that Kaien was gone.

"No…now way…this…this can't be," Rukia said.

"It is," Ichigo whispered.

"I…I don't believe this."

"I know," Ichigo said. "I can't believe it either. But it's happening."

Kaien let out a moan.

"Ichigo…don't," Rukia said.

"THIS IS FUCKING HAPPENING!" Ichigo shouted and rushed at Kaien.

"NOOOO!" Rukia screamed as the sound the bat making impact with Kaien's head rose in the air.

_**2:30 PM-Channel 7 News**_

"National authorities have issued a State of Emergency for the nation. All civilians are advised to stay in their homes and to remain calm. The military has been called in and will handle the situation. So far we have received reports of outbreaks from London, Moscow, Paris, Washington D.C., Las Angeles, Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, New York City…"

_**2:33 PM-Group 1**_

"You…you didn't have to do that," Rukia whispered as she sat next to Kaien's corpse with Ichigo's jacket covering what little of his face was left.

"I did," Ichigo said. "He would have killed you if I didn't."

"You don't know that for sure," Rukia said.

Ichigo only looked at her and then looked away.

"I do," Ichigo said. "He was just like the rest who turned into one of those things."

"NO!" Rukia yelled. "He would never have done that. Even if he did…I…I would rather be dead than to have to do…do THAT!"

Ichigo turned and slapped her across the face. Rukia looked at him in surprise.

"Don't…you ever…EVER say that, you bitch," Ichigo hissed. "He would not want you to die for him. He would have rather have you lived and…and move on," he said.

"Oh…I get it…you killed him because you hated him. I see it now," Rukia said, a tone of hatred entered her voice that made Ichigo's heart sink. "You hated him because I was DATING HIM," she said and laughed.

Ichigo looked away from her and made his way to the makeshift barricade of tables and chairs they made held together with duct tape that he and Kaien made. He looked at it and found how ironic it was that over the years he and Kaien built tree houses and snow forts together and the last they made was this barricade. He could feel the tears come, but he refused to let them free.

"Where…where are you going?" Rukia asked.

"You obviously don't want me here," Ichigo said, not turning to face her. "So…I'm gonna get help even if I have to fight my way through a million of those things."

"No…please…please don't go," Rukia said, her voice was catching with the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. "I…I don't want to be alone," she said and grabbed Ichigo.

Ichigo stopped ripping the bits of duct tape from the barricade and turned to face her. They stood like that and he enfolded her in his arms. They stood like that even as the world they knew was dying around them.

_The day the world came to an end, I killed my best friend…and I held the girl I loved in my arms…for the first time it truly meant anything. Overall…it was a good day._

**End of Chapter One**

**Preview:**

* * *

><p><strong>Starrk: So, what are we gonna do now?<strong>

**Harribel: We fight. You game?**

**Starrk: Hell yeah, but...can't I take a nap first?**

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime: I know you...you're in my class.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Tatsuki: Okay, listen up. Which is more important? Your clothes or your life?<strong>

**Dr. Fleur: BOTH!**

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo: Alright people, let's get the fuck out of here.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: This story is inspired by the AnimeManga "High School of the Dead" and while it served as the basis for the overall story line, none of the "Bleach" characters are representatives of the characters from "High School of the Dead". I want to thank LAWLS117 for bringing this confusion to my attention and I hope that this Author's Note clarrifies any future confusions, but to be on the safe side I shall repeat this Author's Note at the end of the next chapter. **

**Thank you,**

**MJLCoyoteStarrk**


	3. Chapter 2: In the Halls of the Dead

**Lazarus Rising**

**Chapter 2: In the Halls of the Dead**

"_All is silent in the halls of the dead…. All is forgotten in the stone halls of the dead. Behold the stairways which stand in darkness; behold the rooms of ruin. These are the halls of the dead where spiders spin and the great circuits fall quiet, one by one."_

_-Stephen King,_ The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands

_**1:27 PM**_

He steadied himself for what he knew he had to do. He brought out one of the arrows from his quiver and attached the arrow's nock to the bowstring. He pulled back with his left hand and aimed with his dominant left eye. He released the arrow and watched as it pierced the teacher's head.

"I'm sorry, Coach, but I have no intention of becoming dinner," he whispered.

He looked back at the school where he could hear the sounds of screaming continue. He straightened his glasses as he began to fill his quiver with more arrows from the shed where the school's archery equipment was kept. When he got as many arrows he could carry, Uryu Ishida began to run to the school.

_**1:30 PM-Group 3**_

"If you drop me," Apacci growled. "I swear to God, I'll come back to life just to kick your ass."

"Relax, we're not going to drop you," Mizuiro said. "Let her down gently Keigo."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Keigo asked.

"If you're peeking down my blouse, I'll fucking kick your ass," Apacci said.

"Anything?" Mila Rose asked Sung-Sun who was trying to get through to the emergency services.

"I'm still only getting a busy signal," she said. "I'll try again later when we get to another building."

"Yeah, about that," Mila Rose said. "If we're going to have this much trouble getting down, how are we supposed to get off the awning?"

"Look on the other side and tell me what you see," Sung-Sun said.

"I see…a window?"

"Exactly," Sung-Sun said. "I've always been interested about those windows and it turns out that the maintenance staff uses them whenever they have to replace any part of the awning. It makes access a lot easier."

"I thought you said that we could use the awning to get to one of the buildings that uses the rooftop as a recreational area?" Keigo asked from where he and Mizuiro were still helping Apacci down.

"I know, but when I saw that window I thought of a better way. I just hope that none of those things are there."

_**1:32 PM-Group 2**_

"The coast is clear," Starrk whispered.

"Good, now get moving," Harribel whispered. "If I remember correctly, the school's workshop should be around here somewhere."

"Isn't that it?" Starrk asked and pointed to a sign that jutted out above a door that said "WORKSHOP".

"That's it," Harribel said and smiled. "Come on, let's get some weapons."

_**1:33 PM-BBC NEWS**_

"We have just received word that the outbreak of a highly dangerous virus is making its way around the world. Early reports have indicated that this virus has caused those infected to behave in an erratic and violent manner. Authorities have advised for civilians to stay in their homes and lock their doors.

"In light of the recent outbreak, the Royal Family has been put under heavy guard and Parliament has been suspended until the crisis has passed. The Prime Minister will make a statement to the nation later today."

_**1:34 PM-Group 2**_

"Close the door and lock it," Harribel said. "We don't want any of those things to stumble on us."

"Well, we don't even know how they behave," Starrk said.

"Sure we do," Harribel said. "They behave like zombies. Haven't you ever watched _Shaun of the Dead_?"

"Well, sure, but…they don't exactly chase after their prey like those zombies. Do they hunt by sight, or smell, or…?"

"That's a good question, Starrk. We might have to look into that some more. After all, knowledge is the first step in being prepared. Now, see what we can use for weapons."

_**1:45 PM-Group 3**_

Mizuiro allowed himself to drop the rest of the way to the awning below. A metallic clang rang through the air as he landed in a crouch. Immediately, the volumes of the moans increased. Sung-Sun took a look over the edge and saw that the dead were beginning to congregate in the direction where they heard the sound.

"Interesting," Sung-Sun said.

"What is?" Mila Rose asked.

"It seems as though the 'Walkers' are attracted to sound," she said. "That actually makes sense."

"Okay, so they're attracted to sound," Apacci said. "How does that help us?"

"It means that we know something about how they tract potential prey," she said and sighed. "Honestly, must you always be so stupid?"

"Watch it, bitch," Apacci snarled. "I'm tempted to just toss you over the side."

"Would you just shut up? Let's just get moving before those things find us," Mila Rose said.

_**2:00 PM-Group 4**_

Tatsuki and Orihime made their way quietly down the hall. The only sounds they heard were their own footsteps and the sound of a ticking clock. Tatsuki made sure to look behind them every now-and-again as they moved forward.

"Maybe they're gone," Orihime whispered.

That was when one of the doors opened. They yelled in surprise at the sight of the arrow aimed at them.

"Would you two please keep your voices down?" the boy asked. "I'm sorry about that, but I had to make sure you weren't one of 'Them'."

"You fucking scared us," Tatsuki said.

"I told you that I was sorry," he said and adjusted his glasses.

"I know you…you're in my class," Orihime said. "Well, at least in the same PE class."

"I thought you two looked familiar. I'm Uryu Ishida, Captain of the school's archery team."

"I'm Tatsuki Arisawa, Captain of the school's Competitive Martial Arts team and Vice-Captain of the school's Competitive Wrestling team."

"I'm Orihime Inoue, Captain of the school's Art team," Orihime said and let out a soft giggle.

"I see," Uryu said.

"So, what's this about keeping our voices down?" Tatsuki asked.

"While most of your classmates were busy getting eaten, I spent my time observing them. I've found that they're drawn to noises. I saw one that banged against a locker and it kept on banging itself against the locker. Eventually, that banging noise drew others to it. As far as I know, they're still there," Uryu said.

"You didn't try to kill them?" Tatsuki asked and pointed to the quiver of arrows.

"There was no point," Uryu said. "They weren't coming after me and I didn't want to draw attention. I would advise that you take your shoes off and put them in a bag or something. They make too much noise on the floors. In the meantime, you can come in here and we'll come up with a plan."

"Alright," Orihime said.

"Wait, Orihime," Tatsuki said. "How do we know he won't try anything?"

"Don't worry," Uryu said. "I'll keep watch if that's what you're worried about."

"Alright," Tatsuki said. "But if you try anything…"

"Consider me forewarned," Uryu said.

_**2:05 PM-Group 2**_

"Sweet," Starrk said and held up the nail gun.

"Can you make a gun out of it?" Harribel asked.

"Not really," Starrk said. "But I can try. The problem is removing the safety."

"The safety?" Harribel asked, somewhat confused.

"Sure, nail guns are outfitted with a safety device that keeps a person from accidentally shooting someone or themselves. It's why nail guns usually only work when they're pressed against a surface. However, like any safety…," he said and grinned as he picked up a pair of needle-nose pliers. Harribel didn't see what he did to it, but it didn't take long. He grinned as he pointed the nail gun at the board and pulled the trigger. She watched as a nail flew out and dug into the board. "Hmm, the projectile is a little off, but other than that it will do."

"How did you do that?"

"All I did was de-active the safety. I learned it from…from someone," he said and fell silent. "I just need to find the extra canisters of gas and nail clips. If I shoot it like pistol, I should be fine."

"Alright, you try to find what you need. I'll see what else we can use."

"Hey Bel," Starrk said.

"What is it?"

"Why did you drag me with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, earlier today when you uh…" he said and rubbed his arm.

"We have a better chance of survival if we stick together, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…why me? I mean you could have chosen anyone else to come with you."

"You were the only one who was taking the initiative," Harribel said and sighed. "Plus, Ichigo already left."

"Oh…I see," Starrk said.

"Did I hear a hint of jealousy in that statement?"

"N-no."

Harribel smiled. It was true that she would rather have gone with Ichigo since he at least seemed to know what he was doing. However, she was glad that Starrk took the initiative of trying to sneak out of the class. He might be a lazy bum, but at least he knew when something needed to be done and he did it.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Starrk asked.

"We fight," Harribel said and looked at him. "You game?"

"Hell yeah," Starrk said smiling. "But…can't I take a nap first?"

"No," Harribel said and punched him in the arm. "You can take a nap when we find someplace safe. In the meantime, let's just get things ready."

_**2:20 PM-Group 3**_

"Just keep in mind, we have to keep quiet," Sung-Sun said as Keigo climbed through the open window. "We were lucky that the window was unlocked."

"Damn it, I still can't get through," Mizuiro said and he looked at his cell phone.

"Don't bother trying for a while," Mila Rose said. "If things are really as bad as they looked from outside, trying to contact any of the emergency services will do us no good. You might as well wait for Godot."

Mizuiro shrugged and put the phone back into his pocket. He looked at Keigo who was brushing some of the dirt from the awning off his pants.

"What do you think about all of this?" Mizuiro asked.

"I don't know," Keigo said. "I only hope that I make it out of this in one piece and not in pieces."

"Alright you two, let's get moving," Apacci said. "We're wasting time."

_**2:20 PM-CNN**_

"Since the initial outbreak of this strange virus, the Federal Government has declared that the United States be put under a State-of-Emergency and Martial Law be put into effect. The United Nations is currently holding an emergency meeting to discuss how the international crisis be dealt with. We have been receiving details on our website and Twitter page that those infected die and then come back to life. One viewer put it this way: 'It's like something out of a Stuart Gordon film'."

_**2:35 PM-Group 1**_

"We have to find a way out of this," Ichigo said.

Rukia didn't say anything. Instead, she continued to look over at Kaien's body. The blood was soaking through Ichigo's jacket. Ichigo sighed and looked down. He looked in surprise as he saw a pale-faced boy with unkempt black hair walking. The few dead below were not paying him any mind.

"Holy shit, that's Ulquiorra," Ichigo said.

"What is it?" Rukia asked.

"It's Ulquiorra," Ichigo said and pointed.

"Why aren't they going after him?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "Maybe it's because he's already so much like them."

As they watched, Ulquiorra stopped and looked up at them. Ichigo and Rukia waved at him. However, Ulquiorra just turned back to what he was doing and walked back into the building.

"What's he doing?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "But I want to know why they didn't notice him," he said and pointed at the walking dead below.

_**2:40 PM-Group 4**_

"Where are we going?" Tatsuki asked.

"We're heading to the nurse's office," Uryu said. "We need to get medical supplies before we even think of getting out of here."

"Wow, you really thought this through," Orihime said.

"Not really," Uryu said. "I'm just making up a plan as we go along."

"That's comforting," Tatsuki said and rolled her eyes.

"I still need to come up with a plan on how to get us out of here," Uryu said. "Not to mention coming up with a plan on where to go or how to gather other supplies we'll need like weapons and food and water. Damn it, there're just too many things that need to be taken into account and I don't know where to begin."

"Well…let's just go to the nurse's office," Tatsuki said. "We'll get what we think we may need. Then, we'll go look for other survivors like you suggested. When we get a group together, then we'll find someplace where we can come up with an escape plan."

"I must say," Uryu said. "You're handling the situation a bit better than I am."

"Trust me. I don't think I am," Tatsuki said. "I'm just afraid of what we might find when we turn a corner."

"I know," Uryu said. "Some halls are crawling with those things and others are completely empty. Some look like a butcher's shop and others don't."

"Did you see anyone else?" Tatsuki asked.

"I saw the wrestling coach walking down a hall as though he was in a daze. He kept muttering that it was all a nightmare. The next thing I know, he's opening one of the windows. I tried to stop him, but he…," Uryu stopped and closed his eyes.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked.

"I think Hell ran out of room," Tatsuki said. "Come on," she said and the three continued.

When they reached the stairs they stopped. A pale-faced boy with emerald green eyes and unkempt black hair stood looking at them. Uryu reached for his quiver, but stopped when he saw the boy cock his head slightly.

"Well," he said in a monotone voice. "I see that three more survived."

"It's you," Orihime said.

"Ah, so you are still alive. I must admit that I am surprised that someone who would punch their own stomach for no reason would survive this long."

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Tatsuki asked.

"I am Ulquiorra Schiffer. I am sure that you would be happy to know that there are two students on the roof who are still alive. One is a girl with black hair and the other a boy with orange hair."

"Rukia and Ichigo," Orihime said. "They're still alive."

"Wait, Kaien was with them," Tatsuki said. "Did you see a third student? He looks a bit like the boy with orange hair only with black hair."

"I am sorry, but I did not see him. Where are you three heading?"

"We're heading to the nurse's office to get supplies," Uryu said.

"So, do you have a plan on how to get out of here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"No, but we do know that the Walkers are attracted to sound," Uryu said.

"I take it by 'Walkers' you are referring to the dead," Ulquiorra said.

"Yeah," Tatsuki said.

"How are the floors below?" Orihime asked.

"All is silent in the halls of the dead," Ulquiorra said. "The 'Walkers' are about of course, but they are silent for some reason. They are not moaning as much as they did at first."

"That's probably not a good thing," Uryu said. "Have you seen what it's like outside?"

"There are a lot of fires burning," Ulquiorra said. "I have also heard gunfire and shouting and breaking glass and sirens from emergency response vehicles. However, there is also a lot of moaning."

"So, it's that bad," Uryu said and sighed. "Alright, let's get going."

They walked down the stairs and through the windows they saw the dead shuffling through the school grounds.

_**2:45 PM-Group 2**_

SPLAT!

The wet cloth struck the Walker on the back of the head, but it had no reaction.

SPLAT!

This time another wet cloth struck the locker to the Walker's right. The Walker turned towards the sound and bumped into the locker. It moaned as it bumped against the locker again. It looked as though it was trying to claw its way into the locker.

"Well, that's interesting," Harribel said as she ducked behind the overturned table. "They react to sound."

Starrk held onto the nail gun and brought out makeup kit that Harribel gave him. He looked through the small mirror and saw that other Walkers were being attracted to the noise that the one Walker was making.

"So that's it," he whispered.

"It makes sense," Harribel said as she looked into the mirror. Starrk made a sharp intake of breath at the close proximity. "Oh lighten up," she said.

"Uh…sorry…it's just…uh…"

Harribel smiled as she watched Starrk's face become even redder. She took the makeup kit from his trembling hand and she looked into the mirror. She watched in fascination as the other Walkers began to claw at the locker. She brought the mirror down and closed the makeup kit as carefully she could. She winced at the soft click it made, but so far all of the Walkers were making a louder noise at the locker. She reached for the water bottle and screwed the cap back on.

"Come on," Harribel whispered to Starrk. "But, let's be quiet."

"Alright," Starrk whispered as he regained his composure. He took out his cellphone and looked at it he debated about something, but then he put it back into his pocket.

"You're worried about someone?" Harribel asked.

"My little sister," he whispered. "She attends Karakura Middle School and I'm worried about her."

"Well, if you want to see her again, then you better get your head back into the game," Harribel said. "I'm sorry, but I need you to concentrate on our current situation."

"I understand," Starrk said as he grabbed the bag. "Do you have someone your worried about?"

"Not really," Harribel lied. "Now come on. Let's get out of here before those Walkers become bored."

They made their way past the cluster of Walkers as silently as they could.

_**2:45 PM-Group 1**_

Ichigo loosened the last of the duct tape. On the other side, the sound of pounding was less than it had been before. He didn't know what to make of that and didn't really care. Instead, he focused on the fire hose they found in the storage shed. It was old and he hoped that the hose would hold.

"RUKIA, NOW!" he called out.

Rukia turned the knob and water began to flow into the hose. Ichigo watched as the hose quickly filled with water. He hoped that the pressure would be enough. He watched as the hose began completely full and he waited to let the pressure build up. He knew that he only had one shot at this.

"Please, God," he whispered and opened the nozzle.

He was almost blown back by the force that had built up. He yelled as he watched the barricade burst forward. The sounds of debris striking bodies and the cracking of skulls told him that he succeeded.

"RUKIA, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" he cried out as he dropped the hose and grabbed the baseball bat.

Rukia took one last look at Kaien's body and followed Ichigo. They slipped and slid over the debris, but they kept their footing. The dead moaned after them, but Ichigo and Rukia took down all that stood in their path.

"Where are we going?" Rukia asked.

"If Ulquiorra's still alive then that must mean there are others," he said. "We're going to find them and then get out of here."

They ran back into the school.

_**2:50 PM-Group 4**_

"It's right over here," Uryu said and opened the door to the nurse's office.

It looked undisturbed. The shelves of antiseptics and creams and bandages were undisturbed. The window was open a little to let in a light spring breeze that caused the curtains around the cot to flutter softly. Uryu, however, did not drop his guard. He kept his eyes open for any signs of the Walkers. However, he did not see them.

"Orihime, you and I will look through the supplies for anything we can use," Tatsuki said.

"I will keep an eye on the halls," Ulquiorra said.

"Alright," Uryu said and he made his way to the window.

He looked out and saw that the Walkers were outside, but so far they were busy feeding on small clusters of students that were trapped. Uryu closed the window, shutting out the sounds from outside. He looked at the fluttering curtains and got an arrow ready in case.

"Ulquiorra," he whispered.

Ulquiorra closed the door and locked it shut before making his way to Uryu who nodded at the curtains. Ulquiorra nodded to show that he understood. Uryu stood at the ready as Ulquiorra grabbed hold of one of the curtains. However, before Ulquiorra pulled the curtains, they heard movement coming from behind the curtains.

Uryu drew back the arrow and Ulquiorra was about to jump away from the area when they heard someone give off a huge yawn from behind the curtains.

"Ah…what a nice nap," someone said and the curtains rolled away to reveal a woman dressed in a purple skirt and a light lavender blouse. She had blonde hair with the exception of a strand over her left eye that was dyed purple. "Oh, do you need anything?" the nurse asked as she saw Uryu lower his bow.

"Dr. Fleur," Orihime said and waved.

"Oh, Orihime, did you trip again?" Dr. Fleur, the school nurse, asked.

"Uh…how long were you asleep?" Uryu asked.

"Well…let's see. I started my nap at around 12:45 PM and it's…oh…oh dear. The Principal's going to kill me if he finds out I slept this long," she said as she noticed the clock.

"Actually, Dr. Fleur," Orihime said. "Uh…we have something to tell you."

_**2:50 PM-Group 3**_

"Well, she's not in there," Apacci said as she came out of the class that Harribel and Starrk left a couple of hours before.

"Okay then," Sung-Sun said. "Which direction would she head towards?"

"Maybe we should try the Faculty Lounge," Keigo said. "I mean, that's where I would be going."

"You and half of the school," Apacci said.

"Harribel would have more sense than to go somewhere that most of the other students would be trying to reach," Mila Rose said. "Damn, how many do you think are left?"

"Very few," Mizuiro said and sighed. "From the way it seemed, it happened very fast."

"That's because this is the initial outbreak," Sung-Sun said. "It only takes one infected in a confined space and before you know it, the majority is infected. The worst part is, we don't know what to expect. We know that the Walkers have lost any sense of sight and maybe even smell. However, other than that, we know next to nothing."

"We know this," Mila Rose said. "You get bitten, you die, and you get back up."

"Yes, but every Hollywood zombie movie knows that," Apacci said.

"What I mean is this," Sung Sun said. "Do the rules of natural decomposition apply to them? How long will we have to avoid them before it's over? We don't know these things."

"Well, I know one thing," Keigo said. "We have to get out of Karakura Town."

"No duh," Mila Rose said.

"I say that we head towards the nurse's office," Mizuiro said.

"Why?" Mila Rose asked.

"Well, what harm can it do?" Mizuiro asked. "Maybe your friend went there."

"Tch…why would Miss Harribel go see Dr. Fleur?" Apacci asked.

"Well, it won't hurt," Sung-Sun said. "It's better than just wandering about."

_**2:50 PM-Group 2**_

"So, where should we go?" Harribel asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"I want to hear where you think we should go."

"Well…uh…perhaps the Faculty Lounge."

"Why there?"

"Well, because it's sort of like with a brush fire," Starrk said. "The best place to go is somewhere that the fire has already burned. By now, most of the students and faculty are dead and…"

"No one would think of the Faculty Lounge," Harribel muttered.

"Plus, they have a television set. We can get more information on what's going on."

"Starrk, you're a genius. That's a good idea. Plus, I'm sure that they have plenty of snacks and bottled water in there as well. Alright, let's go."

"Wait a minute," Starrk said. "You're not going to say that it's a bad idea?"

"At this point it's better than no idea at all."

_**3:00 PM-Group 4**_

"Okay, so you're telling me that students and faculty are eating each other?" Dr. Fleur asked.

"That's pretty much the case," Tatsuki said.

The five rushed down the hall. Ulquiorra, Orihime, and Tatsuki were carrying bags filled with medical supplies. Tatsuki was clutching a baseball bat that she found like a club. Dr. Fleur however was falling behind them and Tatsuki slowed down. She watched as Dr. Fleur's high heels caught on one of the carpets and she fell forward.

"Hold on guys," Tatsuki said and ran back towards Dr. Fleur who was getting up.

"Owee, I hate those carpets," she said and glared at the carpet as though it was her mortal enemy.

"You know, that outfit isn't exactly the best to be running around in," Tatsuki said. "Take off those high heels. It'll be easier to run in without them and you won't be likely to trip on any carpets." Tatsuki looked at the purple dressed and grimaced at how little range of motion it provided. She reached for the hem on either side of the side stitching and pulled. The dress began to rip along the seam and Tatsuki stopped when the tear reached the waist band.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?" Dr. Fleur asked in horror. "This was very expensive."

"Sorry, but it would have continued to restrict your movement and speed. Those types of clothes are the worst type to wear if you ever need to make a quick getaway."

"But it was really expensive."

"Okay, listen up," Tatsuki said. "Which is more important? Your clothes or your life?"

"BOTH!" Dr. Fleur cried out. "But…I guess I wouldn't be able to enjoy clothes if I'm dead."

"That's right. Now, we need to keep moving before the Shufflers come," she said as she helped Dr. Fleur to her feet.

"Okay so…uh…" Dr. Fleur began and then pointed. "Is that a Shuffler?"

"Shit, another one," Tatsuki growled and rushed at the Walker. It didn't have time to react before Tatsuki struck it on the head hard enough to cave its skull in. "That's the third one we've seen since we left your office."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to be heading towards the Faculty Lounge?" Uryu asked.

"I'm sure," Dr. Fleur said. "That's where we teachers leave the keys to our cars."

"Alright then, let's…" Uryu said and then they heard screaming from somewhere ahead.

_**2:59 PM-Group 1**_

"Looks like whoever was here already left," Ichigo said.

"Where did they go?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo thought about that. He thought that the first two places that survivors would go to gather would either be the gym or the nurse's office. However, he only had to take one look at the entryway to know that the gym was out. The entryway was crawling with Walkers and so he and Rukia made a hasty retreat to the nurse's office.

"Well, they obviously didn't go to the gym," Ichigo said. "There are too many Groaners there and they would have heard all of that noise. I think they might have headed to the Faculty Lounge."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "Call it a 'hunch'."

"Fair enough," Rukia said and they began to run down the hall to the Faculty Lounge.

However, they didn't have to go far before they heard someone screaming.

"Come on," Ichigo said and they ran even faster.

_**3:01 PM-Group 3**_

"Okay, so we should be getting close," Keigo said.

"I thought you said you knew where we were going," Apacci said.

"Well…I do, but…" Keigo began and sighed.

"You're lost," Mila Rose said.

"I'M NOT LOST!" Keigo cried out.

"IDIOT!" Apacci shouted and hit Keigo on the head. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Sung-Sun said.

"Oh shut up, Sung-Sun," Apacci said.

"Look, let's just stop for a second and get our bearings straight," Mizuiro said.

"Who asked you to get involved?" Mila Rose asked.

"Well, I'm just saying that we'll…" he began and then a scream came from somewhere ahead.

"Oh shit," Apacci said. "That's Harribel. COME ON!" she yelled and began to run.

Mila Rose and Sung-Sun ran towards where the scream came from. Keigo and Mizuiro looked at each other and ran after them.

"Damn it, don't they realize we don't have any weapons?" Keigo asked.

"I don't think they care about that," Mizuiro said.

_**3:03 PM-Group 2**_

Starrk brought the nail gun up just as another Walker was about to attack.

"Oh no you don't," he said and shot a nail into the Walker's skull. "Three down," he whispered. "How are ya holding up, Bel?" he asked.

"Damn it, that Walker took me by surprise," Harribel said as she kicked at the walker by her feet.

"Good thing you had that electric drill handy."

"No shit," she said and looked at the drill which was now covered in blood and gore. "Sorry about yelling out like that."

"Yeah, well, it took you by surprise," Starrk said as he loaded another nail clip into the nail gun. "This damn thing is such a hassle. I wish I had a gun."

"Do you really know how to use a gun?" Harribel asked as she drove the electric drill into another Walker's head.

"Yeah," he said. "I learned it from…a…uh…a friend."

"Oh and who is this…NO YOU DON'T!" Harribel cried out just as another Walker reached for her. She thrust the screwdriver she held in her other hand into the creatures eye and it fell trying to claw it out.

"You do realize you have to destroy the brain, right?"

"Shut up," She said and brought the electric drill down on the Walker.

"I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Then do it by killing the fuckers."

"You're handling this rather well."

"Yeah, and so are you."

"No I'm not."

Harribel looked and saw that Starrk was trembling. She looked at her own hands and saw that they were shaking. She felt like fainting, but knew that if she did that then Starrk would have to fight by himself. She knew that he would do whatever it took to protect her and she owed him for sounding the warning before the Walker could bite her. She just hoped that her scream didn't attract any more Walkers.

"Damn it," she said as the amount of gore on the electric drill head became too much and it became too clogged to do much. She turned the drill off to try to get it cleaned.

"GET DOWN!" Starrk yelled.

Harribel looked up in time to see a Walker launch itself towards her. She couldn't help but think of how fast they became when they got in range of potential prey. It was like watching one of those lions in the Savanna about ready to take down an antelope. She knew that she wouldn't be able to duck in time and that was when she saw something flash out of the corner of her eye. She saw the arrow pierce the Walker's head and down it went.

"Bel, it looks like your scream may have saved us," Starrk said.

Around them, footsteps came running. She watched as Ichigo and Rukia made quick work of four Walkers that were making their way towards them. The boy with the bow loaded another arrow and shot it at a Walker that was coming from behind his own group.

"MISS HARRIBEL, I'M COMING!"

She turned and saw her three friends rushing towards her with two boys behind them. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Where have you three been?" she asked. "I was about to become somebody's dinner," she said and then laughed. She hugged her three friends.

"So…I guess this is everyone," Ichigo said.

_**3:10 PM**_

"That should do it," Uryu said as he and Ichigo put the last box of Xerox paper on their wall before the door.

"Was anyone bitten?" Ichigo asked.

"We're good," Keigo said.

Ichigo nodded and looked over at Starrk who was currently trying his hand at picking the lock to the vending machines. Starrk looked up briefly and gave the thumbs up. Ichigo nodded and looked over at Harribel who was busy trying to get as much of the blood and gore off her as she could. Dr. Fleur was using some of the patches of rubbing alcohol to get the blood and gore off her face.

"She's fine," Dr. Fleur said. "She wasn't bitten."

Ichigo nodded and he looked around the room. As far as he knew they were the only ones who made it. Four separate groups had come together and were now holed up inside the Faculty Lounge. He knew that it was extremely likely that there were other groups holed up in other places in the school, but right now it was nearly impossible to reach them.

"Alright," Ichigo said. "The first thing we need to do is to decide on a plan on how to get out of here."

"Hey, who made you leader?" Uryu asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious that we need to come up with a plan on how to get out of here," Starrk said. He gave one more twist of the nail file and a clicking noise came as the lock on the vending machine opened. "SUCCESS!" he called out and opened the vending machine door to reveal the rows of cans of Coke and Dr. Pepper and Sprite and small bottles of water. "Now, I'll start on the snacks he said."

"Of course we need to get out of here," Ichigo said and turned to Uryu. "I just think that we should come up with a way of getting ourselves organized."

"I agree," Ulquiorra said. "However, that does not explain how you decided to put yourself in charge."

"No one did, but someone's going to have to lead the way," Ichigo said.

"And that someone is you?" Rukia asked. "That's a great idea. Let's trust the man who killed his own best friend."

"That needed to be done, Rukia," Ichigo said. "Besides, you followed me."

"That was because I had no other choice," Rukia said.

"In case you didn't notice," Uryu said. "I led the largest group. That proves that I should be leader."

"Oh…I see what's going on," Ichigo said. "You're trying to get everyone to follow you."

"Would you two please shut up?" Harribel asked. "Look, I agree that we need to come up with a plan, but the last thing we need is for you two to have a pissing contest on who's going to be our leader. Now, first thing's first," she said. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"We can take my car," Dr. Fleur said and held up the keys.

"What kind is it?" Orihime asked.

"It's a VW Bug," she said.

"Uh…I think that would be a little bit small," Starrk said.

"Oh…" Dr. Fleur said and then looked at everyone there. "Yeah, it would be."

"We can take multiple vehicles," Rukia said. "Sort of like a caravan."

"Yeah, but how are we gonna break through the gate?" Tatsuki asked. "The main gate is closed throughout the school day. I doubt that most of the cars in the parking lot could be used to ram through it."

"What if we used one of the buses?" Orihime asked.

They all looked at her except for Starrk who was focused on getting the vending machine filled with snack food opened.

"What bus?" Ichigo asked.

"You know, the buses that the school teams use to go to their matches or the ones the school uses for fieldtrips," Orihime said.

"Well, the buses are still here," Keigo said. "But, which one should we use? We can't exactly afford to waste time trying out the key for all of them."

"You won't have to," Dr. Fleur said and reached for a series of pegs from which 4 sets of keys dangled from their key chains. She took one set down and looked at the small gold medallion that hung from it. "We're taking Bus #1 when we leave."

"Which one is that?" Mizuiro asked.

"It's the one with a big red 1 on the side," she said and smiled.

"I got it," Starrk said and he swung the door open for the snacks. "Alright, before we think of doing anything, I think we should check on what's going on outside." He picked up the remote and turned the television on.

"…Agency has said that the recent outbreak of erratic behavior is the result of a case of severe rabies," the reporter on the television replied.

"Are they saying this is nothing but a case of 'severe rabies'?" Ichigo asked.

"What else are they gonna say?" Rukia asked.

"They don't want to cause a national panic," Sung-Sun said and frowned. "Unfortunately that explanation won't last long. Of course, they're not going to say that it's a case of the dead coming back to life to feed on the living. At least, not yet," she said and sat in thought.

"Hush, I think something's happening," Apacci said.

"…live from Karakura Park," the reporter said and the picture changed to show a female reporter standing in Karakura Park.

"That's right," the female reporter said. "I have just received word that a rash of attacks has just occurred in Karakura Park. It's not clear how many are wounded or dead. However, the police arrived quickly on the scene and have gotten control over the situation. As you can see behind me, medical teams are on the scene to take the injured and dead away," she said as behind her a man on a stretcher was being wheeled away.

"Oh shit," Ichigo said as he watched the man arching his back and yelling in pain. The paramedics tried to restrain him, but the man's body began to buck and the paramedics were having a hard time trying to get him to lie down.

"Uh…as you can see behind me," the woman said. "Uh…wait a minute…something's happening.

That was when the camera panned over to where two stretches with body bags laid. Only now, the body bags were sitting up. There came a scream from off-camera and the camera panned to where the wounded man was now sinking his teeth into the neck of one of the paramedics. One of the police officers on the scene brought out his gun and began to open fire. The camera panned back to where the two body bags were. One was on the ground and blood flowed from where the head was. However, the other was shuffling towards where the screams were coming from, blood blossoming on where the chest was.

"Uh…this is…this is insane," the female reporter said. "This can't be happening. No…no stop…stop right there…please…don't…don't…NOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried out the camera zoomed back and they all saw a brief glimpse of the female reporter being held by a child who was biting into her neck. The camera dropped and it now showed people running away and among them the shuffling feet of the Walkers. Then, the picture died.

They stood around the television.

"We have to get out of here as soon as possible," Uryu said. "That was Karakura Park and that's only ten miles from here."

"Alright, gather what you can," Ichigo said. "Then we'll make a run for it."

They all nodded in agreement. Starrk grabbed one of the boxes of Xerox paper from on top of the pile and dumped the paper out. He rushed to the vending machines and began to fill it with whatever he could grab. Ichigo looked out the window and stared at the bus. They would have to leave soon and that bus was their ticket out.

Starrk took up the nail gun and hefted it. He took five nail clips from the bag and put them in his shirt pocket along with a pair of pliers. He then lifted the box filled with bags of cookies and chips and candy along with bottles of water and cans of soda.

"I'll take that," Harribel said and grabbed the box from him. "You just keep that nail ready to use."

"Are you sure?" Starrk asked.

"I'm sure," Harribel said.

Ulquiorra and Ichigo were busy dragging the boxes away from the door. As soon as the last box was cleared, Ulquiorra picked up the other box filled with snacks and soda. Orihime and Dr. Fleur each had a bag filled with medical supplies. Tatsuki stood next to Orihime with a baseball bat. Mila Rose, Apacci, and Sung-Sun carried bags that were filled with food that they found as well as whatever they could use as weapons.

Ichigo took a deep breath as he reached for the door. Rukia held the mop handle she used as a spear. He looked from her and then to Orihime who was avoiding eye contact with him. He knew that he treated her badly when they broke-up and Rukia treated him the same way when they broke-up. He knew that now wasn't the time to focus on that. He turned to the door.

"Alright people," he said. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

He opened the door and the others followed him.

**End of Chapter Two**

**Preview:**

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo: RUN!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Rukia: Don't you dare let him on. If you do, you'll regret it.<strong>

**Ichigo: But Rukia, he's one of us now.**

* * *

><p><strong>Uryu: Who appointed you to be our fearless leader?<strong>

**Ichigo: Why should you care?**

* * *

><p><strong>Tsukishima: Such a pity.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: This story is inspired by the AnimeManga "High School of the Dead" and while it served as the basis for the overall story line, none of the "Bleach" characters are representatives of the characters from "High School of the Dead". **

**Thank you,**

**MJLCoyoteStarrk**


	4. Chapter 3: Dead World Rising

**Lazarus Rising**

**Chapter 3: Dead World Rising**

_Come on baby (Don't fear the reaper)_

_Baby take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)_

_We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)_

_Baby I'm your man_

_-Blue Öyster Cult,_ "Don't Fear the Reaper"

_**3:34 PM**_

"Alright people," Ichigo said. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

He took a deep breath and he readied his bat in case he needed to use it. He opened the door and looked around, but the hall was empty. He rushed out and the others followed close behind.

"Alright…well…which way do we go?" Ichigo asked.

"We go to the left," Uryu said, keeping his bow ready. "God, you took the lead without even knowing which way to go? That's pathetic."

"Oh shut up," Ichigo said.

Starrk shook his head and he made his way cautiously to an intersection that was to their left. He cautiously looked around the corner and then turned to look down the other end. He looked back and jerked his head to the right and held up four fingers. He then jerked his head to the left and held up five fingers and then another two.

"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh God, you are such an idiot," Apacci said. "He's signaling that there are four Walkers to the right and another seven to the left."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Ichigo said.

He sighed and then he saw Starrk gesturing for them to move forward. They moved forward until Starrk gestured for them to stop. Then he put his finger to the lips in the universal gesture of "shut the fuck up." He made his way towards them, keeping a tight grip on the nail gun.

"Listen," he said in a hushed whisper. "We have a slight problem."

"What do you mean?" Uryu asked.

"Didn't you see my signal? Look, we have four Walkers on the hall down to the right and another seven down to the left. Unfortunately, we need to turn left if we're going to get to the front exit."

"Can't we just go through the back exit?" Orihime asked.

"We could, but there's no way to get to the parking lot form there without having to jump the field fence and then leap down a twenty-foot drop. No, it's best to go out the front," Sung-Sun said.

"That's actually…very astute of you," Uryu said.

"Thank you," Sung-Sun said and blushed slightly.

"Alright, so can't we just make a run for it?" Keigo asked.

"Those things can get pretty fast if they sense prey nearby," Harribel whispered.

"We have only one option, then," Starrk whispered. "We'll have to get rid of them. That way we won't have to worry about them. But we'll have to be quick."

"Yeah," Ichigo said and looked around the corner. "I'll take the ones on the left. Uryu and Starrk, you can take the ones to the right."

"Wait a minute," Uryu said. "You can't take out seven Walkers in one go. Besides, who put you in charge?"

"Oh shut up and do as I say," Ichigo said. "I can easily take care of seven Walkers by myself."

"I highly doubt that," Uryu said. "From what I understand, you lost one member of your original group. I don't exactly like those odds."

_Oh boy,_ Starrk thought. _There's bad blood brewing between these two. If they keep arguing like this…_

"And I'm telling you that I have a better survival ratio than you," Uryu said.

"Would you two please shut up," Starrk said. "Look, we don't have all day listening to you two argue about who's going to be in charge. We need to survive and in order for us to do that we need to get out of here. Uryu, you take the ones on the right while I take the ones on the left. The nail gun will make quick work of them. Ichigo, you can cover us. If any Walker gets too close, then bash their fucking heads in. Are we in agreement for that plan?"

"Fine," Uryu said. "So long as Strawberry here doesn't get involved."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Strawberry', Robin Hood?"

"Hey, you know how much I hate that nickname."

_Oh great, they have a past,_ Starrk thought and sighed. _This is not going to be good._

"Look, just stop bickering and get ready," Starrk said. "I don't know about you, but I think that _not_ becoming a Walker's dinner is far more important than you're little argument. Look, let's just get this over with and be on our merry way."

"Alright," Uryu said as he pulled the arrow back a little.

"Fine," Ichigo said as he tightened his grip on the bat.

"Good. On the count of three, we'll take 'em down. One…two…THREE!"

They rushed around the corner. Starrk was careful with his aim before he pulled the trigger. Uryu was also aimed and fired off an arrow. The projectiles found their targets and the Walkers fell to the ground. Just as Uryu was getting another arrow ready, Ichigo rushed forward and bashed the head of one of the Walkers in.

"ICHIGO! WHAT THE HELL?" Uryu shouted.

"HEY! QUIT COMPLAINING! THAT ONE WAS COMING AT YOU!" Ichigo shouted.

"Uh…Ichigo, you really shouldn't be yelling like that," Starrk said. "Oh…and by the way…there's one behind you."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked and turned and saw the gaping mouth of one of the Walkers right in front of him. Before Ichigo had time to react, an arrow found its mark and protruded from one of the Walker's blind eyes. "HEY! I WAS GONNA GET THAT ONE!"

"Oh yeah. And when would you have done that? Before or after you got bitten?" Uryu asked.

"I TOLD YOU I WAS GONNA TAKE CARE OF IT!"

"GET DOWN!" Starrk shouted as he pulled the trigger on the nail gun after loading a fresh clip of nails in. Uryu and Ichigo ducked in time as two nails embedded themselves in the heads of the two remaining Walkers that were ready to pounce on them. Ichigo and Uryu looked at the Walkers and then at Starrk. "Man, you two _really_ shouldn't be arguing like that with Walkers about," he said and shook his head.

"He started it," Uryu and Ichigo said at the same time and pointed at each other.

"Men," Tatsuki said and shook her head.

"Well, now that is taken care of, shall we be moving on?" Ulquiorra asked as he shifted the box he was carrying.

"I agree," Tatsuki said and moved to the front. "Since these two idiots prefer to argue with each other, I'll take the lead for the time being. But once we get outside, I want to return to 'civilian life' is that clear?"

"Wait a minute. Why are we gonna let a GIRL lead us?" Uryu asked.

"You got a problem with that?" Tatsuki asked and glared at him.

"I don't," Starrk said.

"I wasn't asking you, Sleeping Beauty," Tatsuki said, but smiled. "What about you other _gentlemen_?" she asked.

"I don't mind," Mizuiro said as he brought out his cell phone again.

"Well I…" Keigo began. However, the glare that Tatsuki gave him made him shrink backwards. "Please don't hurt me."

"What makes you think you should be leader?" Ichigo asked. "I'M THE LEADER HERE."

"Typical," Apacci said. "Tell me…_oh wonderful leader_…which way should we go?"

Ichigo stopped and looked about. He honestly had no idea where they were since he rarely went down this part of the campus before.

"How about you, Uryu, do you know which way we should go?" Tatsuki asked. "Well…I do. We take the corridor the left. That will lead us to the stairs. However, those stairs end on the second floor. At the bottom, we go right and that will take us to the stairs to the front entryway. All-in-all, it should take us about another six minutes to get to the front if the path is clear the rest of the way. Now come on," Tatsuki said. "Uryu, I want you up front with me and keep that bow handy. Starrk, you and Ichigo will cover the rear."

"No problem," Starrk said.

"HEY, WHY CAN'T I BE AT THE FRONT?" Ichigo cried out as Tatsuki and Uryu began to run with Keigo and Mizuiro close behind them.

"Just let it go," Starrk said. "It just means that she trusts us to watch their backs."

"Whatever," Ichigo said.

As soon as all of the others were running, Ichigo and Starrk followed. Starrk looked behind him and saw the first of the Walkers coming around the corner.

_They must have been drawn by Ichigo and Uryu yelling at each other,_ he thought. _If those two keep arguing like that, they'll get us all killed._

_**Emergency Broadcast System- 3:35 PM**_

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ISSUED MARTIAL LAW THROUGHOUT THE NATION UNTIL THE PRESENT CRISIS HAS PASSED. ALL CIVILIANS ARE ADVISED TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. LOCK ALL OF DOORS AND SEAL ALL WINDOWS IN YOUR HOMES. IF YOU SEE ANYONE BEHAVING IN A STRANGE OR VIOLENT MANNER, DO NOT APPROACH THEM AND CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM.

_**3:43 PM**_

The scream filled the air. Tatsuki stopped and the others clustered around her.

"There are other survivors?" Keigo asked.

"We need to get to them," Ichigo said. "We need to hurry," he said and rushed in the direction the sound was coming from.

He heard the others coming behind him. However, all that he could do was concentrate on the screams ahead. He rushed down the stairs. His feet pounded on the steps and he could hear moans coming towards him. He got his bat ready as the first Walker rounded the corner. It looked at him and groaned. Ichigo flung himself forward, raising the bat above his head and bringing it down hard on its head before landing.

"DAMN IT, ICHIGO! WERE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?" Tatsuki shouted.

Ichigo didn't answer. He only kept going. When he rounded the landing, he saw a group of seven students, four girls and three boys, huddled against the railing. They were cornered by a group of Walkers. Ichigo shouted and the Walkers' attentions were divided. Some tried to make their way to the students, but the boys were fighting. Ichigo heard the nail gun go off and a nail protruded from one Walker's head. It crashed to the ground just as another nail embedded itself into another Walker's head and an arrow found its mark in another.

"Nice going," Ichigo said and gave the thumbs up to Uryu and Starrk who were busy aiming at their next targets.

"NEVER MIND THAT," Uryu shouted. "JUST KILL THE FUCKERS!"

Ichigo nodded and swung at one of the Walkers. He didn't see one of the Walkers suddenly rushing him in a burst of sudden speed. He could only hear the moaning and turned in time to see it, but not enough to react.

"OH SHIT!" he yelled.

He was fortunate that Tatsuki's training in martial arts helped her to sharpen her reflexes and that even though the Walkers became fast when they got close to prey, they had no real control over their bodies. The combination of Tatsuki's speed and a bag on the floor saved Ichigo's life. The Walker tripped on the bag and began to fall forward. Tatsuki took advantage of the change to kick the Walker in the head, brining it springing upward. She connected with the Walker's head with the bat.

"Damn it, Ichigo, don't get distracted," she said.

"Thanks Tatsuki," Ichigo said.

"Just shut up and keep swinging," Tatsuki said. "Let's finish the rest of these bastards off."

"You got it," Ichigo said.

It didn't take much longer for the rest of the Walkers to be brought down. Ichigo looked at the group of survivors who looked like frightened rabbits. He wondered what they must have went through just to make it this far. He guessed they probably hid in one of the classrooms and stayed low until they thought it was safe to come out. Then they probably came across a group of Walkers and just panicked. However, what happened before didn't seem to matter as much as what was to come.

"Is anybody hurt?" Uryu asked.

"Wh-What?" one of the boys asked.

"Have any of you been bitten?" Rukia asked as she came forward.

"No…well…Mark was and then he…he…" one of the girls said before breaking into sobs.

"It's alright," Dr. Fleur. "You're safe with us. Now, tell us. Has anyone else been bitten?"

They all shook their heads. However, Ichigo noticed that seeing Dr. Fleur brought a sense of relief to them. She was the school nurse and therefore someone in authority. He found that to be a relief, but it was also disturbing. He didn't know why it should be, but it was.

"Alright, listen," Ichigo said. "We're going to get out of here. We'll be taking one of the buses and search for our families. Anyone who wants to join us may. What do you say? Want to join?"

Ichigo looked at them and one of the boys stepped forward. He thought he must be the group's leader because of how the others looked up to him. If that was the case, then Ichigo knew he would have to find a way of working with him. The boy looked at his group and nodded.

"We're in," he said.

"Alright then, let's get going," Uryu said as he moved forward. "Oh, and I would lose the towel if I were you."

"Huh?" the boy asked as he looked to the towel that was hung over his shoulders.

"It gives them something else to use to grab you," Uryu said. "I saw a track star trying to run and he had a towel wrapped around his shoulders like that. One of them grabbed the ends and he couldn't get away."

The boy nodded and tossed the towel aside.

"So…uh…who's the leader?" one of the other boys asked.

"We haven't decided that," Uryu said and glared at Ichigo.

"I guess we haven't," Ichigo said and glared back.

_**Karakura Middle School-3:45 PM**_

"Damn it, why won't you answer?" Lilynette whispered as she looked at her cell. "Yuzu, Karin, can you reach your brother?"

"He doesn't have his cell phone on," Yuzu said. "I tried calling him."

"Well, that's just great," Lilynette whispered and sighed.

Outside of the closet where they were hiding they could hear the soft moaning sounds of their fellow classmates. Lilynette looked at the power bar on her cell and was frustrated to see that it was ¼ fully charged. She reached into her bag and pulled out the charger cord she kept in case she needed to recharge her batteries.

"Big Brother always told me to keep on handy in case I needed it," she said and sighed. "Good thing he hammered that into my head. Do any of you see a power outlet?"

"Yeah, there's one over here," Karin said and pointed.

Lilynette looked at the flickering bulb above them. She hoped that it was just the bulb getting ready to burn out and not a problem with the wiring. If it was just the bulb, then the phone would charge up at its usual rate. However, if it was the wiring, then plugging an electrical device could fry it.

"God, if you're there, please let it not be the wiring," Lilynette said and plugged the phone in.

She looked at the bulb and saw that it still flickered. She smiled and sighed in relief. Yuzu and Karin and the three other students who survived hid with them gathered around the phone. Outside, a child screamed and the sounds of feeding began again.

"Do you think Ichigo's alright?" Yuzu asked.

"I'm sure he is," Karin said. "I'm sure he's coming to get us even as we speak."

_**3:50 PM**_

"Shit," Ichigo whispered as they watched the Walkers in the entryway.

They were just wondering around as though it was instinct. He saw that some of the display cases had been knocked over and groups of the Walkers were gathered in areas still feasting on what could only be bodies. He saw that a large group of them was gathered in a doorway and the sounds of tearing meat and dripping blood came from that direction.

"Looks like another group tried to escape," Uryu whispered. "They weren't so lucky."

"Okay," Ichigo said.

"Listen, it seems as though they are attracted to sound," Ulquiorra said. "If we can get past them quietly, then they won't even notice us."

"Shit, I hope you're right," Ichigo said and got up.

"Where are you going?" Rukia whispered.

"I'm gonna test it. I want to make absolutely sure that we can sneak past them."

"No," Orihime hissed to him. "You have two sisters who are still out there. You need to be there for them."

Ichigo winced at that. He looked at them and saw that Starrk was looking at him. Starrk looked around and stood up. He went over to Ichigo and looked at him.

"So that explains the bravado," he whispered. "You were trying to hide your worry for your sisters. Too bad it nearly got you killed, idiot. I'll go," Starrk said. He looked at the nail gun and sighed.

"No you won't," Harribel said. "Your sister needs you too. Damn it. Why are men always saying that they should be the ones to go in first into a dangerous situation? I'll go. Tatsuki, would you please hand me the hammer you'll find in that bag? " she asked and pointed to the bag. "Here, take this," she said and shoved the box into Keigo's hands. "And none of you start that nonsense of how it's a man's job to protect a woman. I've heard it too many times and it's just annoying."

She glared at Starrk who looked as though he was going to say something, but he fell silent. He looked at her and nodded.

"Uryu and I will cover for you Bel. That way if you get into trouble, we can get you out," Starrk said.

Harribel smiled and then turned to face forward. She sighed as she walked carefully down the steps. She stopped as a Walker shuffled past, moaning as it passed. She looked after it and continued, paying absolute attention to her surroundings. She stepped off the last step and looked around. She was not surprised to see blood and gore splattered on the walls and covering most of the floor.

She took a cautious step forward and stopped. A Walker was coming her way. She knew that the others were getting ready and she held a hand up to try to stop them. If any of them made a sound, it would be fatal. Her grip tightened on the hammer and she got ready to use it if she had to. The Walker let out a moan and stopped. It cocked its head to the side as though listening for something and its nostrils began to flare.

_Oh shit,_ she thought. _What's it doing? Is that how they hunt?_

The Walker got closer to her and moaned again. Harribel didn't move. She felt all of her muscles go tense. It cocked its head again and let out another moan before shuffling away. She watched as it went and felt her body relax slightly. She looked ahead and saw that the path to the double doors at the end was blocked by Walkers. She looked around and saw a sneaker lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She reached for it and noticed that the former owner's foot was still in the shoe.

She reached down to pick it up. The blood around the shoe had gelled and it made a slight sucking sound as it was brought out of its bloody bed. She looked around, but none of the Walkers seemed to notice.

_Okay, so they don't notice soft sounds like that,_ she thought. _However, they are blind and we don't know if the other senses will become stronger in order to make up for it._

She hated not knowing something, but when it came to matters of the Living Dead, you just had to roll with the punches. You had to act on instinct and not overthink things. She looked at the shoe and threw it to the right where most of the Walkers in the way were heading. Her aim was true and the foot caught inside added extra weight to help make the sound a bit louder as it struck one of the display cases with a loud THUNK.

The Walkers in the entryway brought their heads up and looked in that direction. They made their way over to where the sound came from and Harribel smiled.

_They're only reacting out of instinct and what their senses are telling them._

That meant that the Survivors had the advantage. If they could keep quiet and only cause a few distractions then they could make it out. She looked over her shoulder and waved the others forward. She reached the double doors and opened them just as Tatsuki and Keigo reached them. When Ichigo reached her he smiled and nodded.

"Nice work," he whispered.

"Not a problem," she whispered back and looked at Starrk who was waving for the group they rescued forward. "It's just as we thought," she continued. "They react to sound, but…the way that one acted…" she trailed off. She still didn't understand what that Walker's tilted head meant.

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said. "We can try to solve that mystery when we get out of here."

Harribel nodded and looked back to where Starrk was now coming her way. It looked as though they would make it out of the school without too much difficulty.

Unfortunately, just when you think that everything's alright, something always comes up to fuck things up. One of the other boys in the group didn't realize that his shoelaces had become untied and when he took another step down the stairs, he tripped on them. He tried to regain his footing, and in the attempt, the metal piping he used as a weapon flew from his hand. He let out a little cry and the others turned and watched in horror as the pipe flew in the air just as the boy tumbled down the rest of the stairs.

The noise that the piping made as it struck the metal bannister and again when it landed on the floor was like a gunshot. The sounds made their way outside and soon the Walkers outside heard it. All of their attention was now on the front. Ichigo and Harribel watched in horror as the boy let out a scream and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, they couldn't save him. Walkers leapt at the unfortunate boy and his screams became wet and hoarse.

"RUN!" Ichigo yelled.

It was too to save one, but he could still save the others. They had to run. Starrk and Uryu ran to the front to help clear a path.

"WHY DID YOU YELL?" Uryu shouted.

"Just shut up and just RUN!" Ichigo replied.

The group ran. Uryu and Starrk stayed in the front, firing off arrows and nails at the Walkers that got too close.

"Well…I really didn't want this extra practice," Starrk said as he ejected the empty nail clip and loaded another one. "Shit, only two clips left."

"I'M ALMOST OUT!" Uryu shouted as he looked at his quiver, which now only had four arrows left.

"Tatsuki, you and I will take the lead," Ichigo said. "Uryu, Starrk, don't shoot unless you absolutely have to."

"Yes sir," Starrk said.

Uryu only gritted his teeth. Ichigo could tell he wanted to say something, but Uryu was smart enough to know that now was not the right time to say anything. They kept running. They were getting close to the parking lot and they could see the group of busses lined in a row. Ichigo was relieved to see that the bus with the red 1 on the side was the closest one to them.

Ichigo looked to make sure that the boy who was in charge of the other group was doing fine and he saw that he was helping to cover the rear. Ichigo felt certain that the boy played baseball. The way he was swinging the metal pipe he held showed someone who knew how to handle a bat.

_He's got a good chance at staying alive,_ Ichigo thought. _I really want to know who he is._

Unfortunately, the world doesn't really care what we want. There are certain things that you can never anticipate. One of these is a sudden muscle cramp in the leg. It can come at you at any moment and the worst time to get a leg cramp is while running for your life. Unfortunately, the boy who Ichigo had come to admire suffered such a fate. He yelled out in pain as his leg began to cramp up and he stumbled.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to just "walk it off," but these weren't normal circumstances. The Walkers seemed to know which Survivor was the weakest link and they swarmed towards him. He tried to fight them off with the metal pipe, but it did no good. One of the Walker bit into his shoulder so hard that they could hear the crunch of bone. One of the girls stopped and turned and watched.

"NO!" she cried and began to run back towards him.

"Hey, what the fuck do ya think you're doing?" Mila Rose called out and grabbed for her.

However the girl didn't answer. She glared at Mila Rose and then slapped her across the face. Mila Rose looked at the girl as though she had gone insane. In some ways, that was close to the truth. The girl rushed back to where a group of Walkers were beginning to dine while the others kept moving in their direction.

"HEY!" Mila Rose shouted back.

"Forget her. If she wants to die then let her," Sung-Sun said. "You can't make that decision for her. Stupid idiot," she muttered under her breath as she grabbed Mila Rose's shoulder and dragged her along.

"Hurry up and get the door open," Ichigo said as Mizuiro and the third boy in the group they saved, a rather large, deeply-tanned boy worked on getting the bus door open.

"HOLD ON!" Dr. Fleur said and shoved the two aside. She put one of the keys into the lock next to the door and turned it. "There, now try."

The two boys looked at each other and then tried again. The door slid open and they looked at her.

"How did you know to do that?" Mizuiro asked.

"Why else would they have a key slot there?" she asked and pointed at the key slot. "It only made sense."

"Yeah, you can discuss the details about that later, but right now we have a bigger problem," Keigo said as he went up the steps, still carrying the box that Harribel shoved into his hands.

"Dr. Fleur, do you know how to drive this thing?" Tatsuki asked.

"Uh…not really," Dr. Fleur said.

"Maybe we should have thought of that _before_ we left," Ichigo said.

"Oh shut up, there weren't exactly too many other alternatives," Uryu said.

"Look, this is just like driving a car," Tatsuki said. "But it's going to be more difficult to control during turns because of the longer body."

"Oh boy," Dr. Fleur said as she got into the driver's seat. "Uh…this is…this different from my VW. Okay, let's see here…"

"JUST FIGURE IT OUT AS YOU GO ALONG!" Apacci shouted.

"Sit down Apacci, your fat ass is blocking the passage," Mila Rose said.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Apacci roared.

"Would you please stop arguing and just sit down?" Sung-Sun asked as she tried to board the bus.

"WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?" Ichigo yelled.

"Hold on. I'll take care of it," Harribel said. "Apacci, Mila Rose, sit down, now," she said and narrowed her eyes.

"Uh…yes ma'am," Apacci and Mila Rose said and quickly got into the closest empty seats.

"Rukia, get on," Ichigo said.

"You don't have to order me about," Rukia said as she got on, still holding the mop handle.

"I know, but…" Ichigo said but then stopped when he saw another group running towards them. "Hey, there are others. HEY! HEY! OVER HERE!" he shouted.

"Who is it?" Uryu asked.

"Oh shit, it's Mr. Aizen," Tatsuki said.

Rukia rushed back and looked out of the door. The group was running towards them. At the front was a thin man with brown hair combed back except for a curl of hair that hung over one eye as though refusing to cooperate. He was dressed in a black suit and on either side of him were two boys wielding baseball bats.

"How many do they have?" Orihime asked.

"They have about…holy shit, seventeen," Ichigo said.

"Can we fit them all?" Starrk asked.

"Yeah," Orihime said. "This bus can fit up to forty people."

"Alright," Ichigo said. "Dr. Fleur, don't start driving yet, we have…"

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Rukia shouted.

"Rukia, what are you…?"

"Don't you dare let him on. If you do, you'll regret it."

"But Rukia, he's one of us now."

"NO HE'S NOT. HE'S…"

"RUKIA, NOW'S NOT THE FUCKING TIME!" Ichigo said. "WE'RE WAITING FOR HIM AND THAT'S FINAL!"

Rukia looked at Ichigo and shook her head. She looked out and hoped that Aizen would trip and fall. She knew that if she told Ichigo why she hated Aizen, he would probably flip. However, when she tried to talk to him about it before, he just completely ignored her. She gritted her teeth and sat down.

"Bastard," she muttered.

Outside, Aizen and his group were running towards the bus.

"HURRY NOW," he ordered and stopped. "Class President Kira, make sure that you get the other students on board."

"Yes sir," Izuru Kira, a blonde, depressed-looking boy said. "CLASSMATES, COME WITH ME!"

Aizen continued to direct them. He watched as a group of Walkers came closer. He began to feel anxious about it. He remembered how glad he was when he looked out of his first-floor office where he and twenty other students were hiding and saw a group running towards the busses. He knew that was his ticket out, but some of the students were slowing him down and so he dealt with them the way he would with anyone who slowed him down.

At the back, a male student was running as hard as he could until he tripped over a loose spot in the pavement and went crashing down. There was an audible pop as his ankle broke.

"Sir…help me…my ankle."

"Oh no," Aizen said smiling down at him. "That's too bad…for you," he said and brought his shoe into the boy's face.

The boy howled in pain as blood flowed from his nose. Aizen turned and walked towards the bus.

_These are the times we are living in. If you're unable to do what it takes to survive, then you don't deserve to live. You're only function is to be the bait._

He smiled as the Walkers went past him and onto their next meal. He hid his smile as he got closer and took on a rather somber look.

"I lost…another one," he said and shook his head.

"Come on, Mr. Aizen," Kira said. "Don't feel bad about it. I mean, we can't save everyone, right?"

"Thank you, Kira, your kind words are…"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the happy crappy," Mila Rose said. "Just sit down, shut up, and let's get the fuck out of here."

"Of course," Aizen said as he took a seat.

"Alright, Dr. Fleur, close the doors," Ichigo said. "Then let's get the fuck out of here. If any of those Walkers get in our way, just run 'em down. They're not human anymore. Got it?"

"Got it," Dr. Fleur said and pushed the button that controlled the bus doors. "Okay, I hope everyone remembered to buckle their seat belts," she said.

"Uh…what seatbelts?" the large, muscular, boy asked.

"Mr. Kurosaki, you better take a seat. I can't drive and treat a patient at the same time you know."

"What?"

"LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!" Dr. Fleur shouted and stomped on the gas pedal.

The bus lurched forward and Ichigo went flying backwards. He had no idea that a bus could go so fast so soon. It was apparent that she was quickly getting a feel for the bus. She swerved around the parked cars or striking Walkers as she drove the bus towards the front gate. She looked out and saw her VW Bug pass.

"Bye-bye, Ladybug, Mommy will miss you," she whispered.

She stopped the bus as she saw the front parking lot gate ahead of her. It was blocked by Walkers heading towards them. Ichigo took advantage to get in a seat and sighed in relief.

"Holy shit, she drives like a lunatic," Ichigo said.

"No kidding," Uryu said.

"Okay, I'm gonna ram it," Dr. Fleur whispered. "And I'm not gonna worry about those in the way. They're all dead. They're no longer human. Most important, their parents can't bring a lawsuit against the school or me."

She stepped on the gas. The tires squealed before they started and any Walkers that were in the way would no longer be getting up. She closed her eyes as the bus hit the gate. There was a brief moment when she was afraid that she wasn't going fast enough or the bus didn't weigh enough or wasn't strong enough to break through the gate. The image of the bus crashing and being trapped as Walkers surrounded the bus entered her mind. However, that was not the case. The bus struck the gates where they met and the force was enough to break them open.

"YES!" Dr. Fleur shouted.

Cheers erupted from the bus as the realization dawned on them. They escaped the school alive.

_**CNN-4:00 PM**_

"As the crisis worsens, world leaders have remained silent as to the exact nature of the disease being dubbed 'Super Rabies', 'Romero Syndrome' and 'Zombie Powder' by the public. The Center for Disease Control and the United Nations Emergency Response Team have issued warnings to the public informing them not to get close to anyone who is infected. Dr. Kisuke Urahara, current head of the Global Health and Disease Research Center in Geneva, has issued a statement."

Dr. Urahara: This disease is unlike anything that we have seen before. We do know that a person can become infected via a bite and that infection takes approximately anywhere from 1-4 hours to bring about death. However, the disease probably releases a large amount of adrenaline into the body. This in turn causes "Resurrection" to take place. We have labeled this disease "The Lazarus Virus" after the first person recorded to be resurrected.

_**4:34 PM**_

Ichigo looked out the bus window. He looked to where Starrk was sitting with Harribel. He had his cell phone out and sighed.

"Looks like he finally decided it was time to check on his little sister," Ichigo said.

"Yeah," Rukia said. "I should try to reach my brother."

"That's right, he works in the military right?"

"That's right," Rukia said. "He's Captain of the Sixth Gotei Corps. He gave me an emergency number that I could reach him at."

"Wait a minute," Ichigo said. "Why didn't you try it earlier?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly thinking straight then, now was I? I mean, how could I after my _boyfriend_ gets bitten and then his skull bashed in?"

"Oh, so it's my fault? Look, if it wasn't for me, you would be dead," Ichigo said.

"I know. That's why I hate you right now," Rukia said.

"Why are you being such a bitch, Rukia? Are you on your fucking period?"

"I…"

"I'm sorry for interrupting."

They turned and saw Aizen standing over them. He was smiling at them and looked over to where Starrk was listening for something.

"I forgot to say 'Thank you' for waiting for us. Ah…Miss Kuchiki, it's so nice to see you again."

"The feeling's _not_ mutual," Rukia said.

"Anyways," Aizen continued as though he hadn't heard Rukia. "I must ask. Are you the leader of this little group?"

"We don't exactly have a leader," Tatsuki said. "Some of us took charge when they had to."

Ichigo blushed. It was true that he saw himself the official leader, but that didn't mean anything. There were times when Uryu took charge and others when Tatsuki stepped in and Starrk lead them against the Walkers in the hallway. He had to admit that maybe he wasn't the best choice for leader, but he hated doing that. For him, it would be the same as admitting defeat.

"That's not good," Aizen said. "We need to have a cohesive hierarchy. We need a leader."

"LILYNETTE!" Starrk cried out. They turned to look at him and Ichigo saw that he was more awake than he ever looked before. "Are you alright? That's great. How many are with you? Okay, so there are six of you total. Hey, Lilynette, I need to know something. A friend of mine has two sisters who attend Karakura Middle School. Their names are Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki. Are they with you?" Ichigo straightened and looked at Starrk who was nodding and smiling. "They're okay. Can you put them on? I think Ichigo will want to hear their voices and know they're alright. Yes, we're coming. We don't know how long it will be, but we're coming.

"Ichigo, here you go," Starrk said and held out the phone for him.

"Thanks," Ichigo said and put the phone to his ear. "Yuzu, Karin, are you alright?"

"Ichigo, is that really you?" Yuzu asked from the other end.

"Yes, yes, it's me," Ichigo said and began to laugh. "Oh God, it's such a relief to hear your voice again."

"Listen, Ichigo," Karin said. "We're gonna try to move out. It's quiet out there."

"No…no don't. Just stay put. I'm coming to get you."

"Hey, you must be Ichigo," another girl said. "I'm Lilynette. My brother's in your class."

"Yeah, he is."

"Listen, we can hear Emergency Response Teams outside. They're checking the buildings for survivors. We're gonna go with them and they'll take us to one of the Emergency Relief Camps. I'll call my brother when we know where we're going."

Ichigo was rather surprised at the take-charge tone in Lilynette's voice. He could tell that she was the type of person who would jump at any chance to prove herself. That could be a good thing in that such an attitude got things done. However, it could be a bad thing since it could put others in harm's way needlessly.

"Wouldn't it be better to just wait?" Ichigo asked.

"Kinda late for that," Lilynette said. "We're getting ready to move out. Look, we're gonna head out now put my brother back on."

"Fine," Ichigo said. "Here, your sister says that they're going to move out."

Starrk grabbed the phone and held it to his ears.

"Lilynette, what's this about you moving out? Uh…is that such a good idea? What if you get trapped? YES, I'M WORRIED! WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'DON'T WORRY'? I'M YOUR BIG BROTHER! No, no of course I trust you to… Wait, why would you want to…?" He turned to face the window and put his head down so no one would see that he was blushing. "You wouldn't. Lilynette, why do you always do this to me? Yes...yes of course I'm worried that you might say something…yes, 'embarrassing' is the right word. Fine, but only if you don't say anything too…embarrassing about me," Starrk said and held the phone to Harribel who looked at it in surprise. "Bel…my little sister, Lilynette, would like to talk to you," he moaned.

"Really, I wonder why," Harribel said as she took the phone. "This is Tia Harribel. Oh…hello, you must be Coyote's little sister. Yes, he's been very worried about you…"

"Anyways," Rukia said as she took out her cell. "I'm gonna try to reach my brother."

"Fine," Ichigo said and from nearby Harribel broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh man, that's too funny," Harribel said and looked at Starrk who was sinking deeper into his seat.

"Damn it, Lilynette. I told you nothing too embarrassing," Starrk said.

"Yes, he's been taking very good care of… Oh…is that right?" she asked and looked at Starrk again, smiling. "Well, that explains a lot. Yes, I'll keep a close eye on him for you. Yes, he does need all of the protection he can get. I look forward to seeing you too. Bye and I'll pass along your message," Harribel said and handed the phone back to Starrk who took it without looking at her. "Don't worry, she didn't tell me anything too embarrassing. But she did tell me about how you like to play with a stuffed shark and a stuffed wolf you have."

"Oh God," Starrk moaned. "She told you about Jaws and Holo?"

"And about how you sometimes call them Tia and Coyote," she said smirking.

That caused Starrk to turn even redder.

"Oh God…I'm…I'm so sorry. It's just that… uh…"

"Don't worry about it," Harribel said and put a hand on his shoulder. "I kinda suspected you liked me."

"Really?" Starrk asked.

"Yeah, anyways, your sister wanted to let you know not to worry and that if anything happened, she'll be sure to bash in a thousand Moaner heads for you."

Starrk chuckled at that. He knew that Lilynette would be fine. He just hoped that the other kids she gathered to her would be safe as well. However, he figured that Karin Kurosaki could take care of herself from what Ichigo told him.

"Hey Rukia, any luck on reaching your brother?" Ichigo asked.

"No," Rukia said and hung up. "I got his voicemail and I left him a message. He's probably somewhere out of range."

"Okay," Ichigo said and sighed. He stood up and walked to the front of the bus where Dr. Fleur was concentrating on her driving. He turned and faced the others. "Alright people, listen up," he said. "We need to figure out what we're going to do next."

Several people nodded, including the large, muscular boy who Ichigo helped save in the stairwell. Ichigo got to know him a bit better during their ride and found out his name was Yasutora Sado, but most people just called him "Chad" for some reason. Out of the group they rescued from the stairwell he was the only one who was still calm and didn't look ready to breakdown. Suddenly Uryu stood up and glared at Ichigo.

"Now wait just a minute," he said. "Who appointed you to be our fearless leader?"

"Why should you care?" Ichigo asked.

"It's because, I don't like being bossed around, Ichigo. You always bossed me around when we were in Junior High."

"Oh God, I can't believe that you're still blaming me for that," Ichigo said. "Look, if you did what I told you to, then you wouldn't have pulled a hamstring."

"Yeah, but because I listened to you…I LOST OUR CLASS MASCOT!"

"OH PLEASE! THAT WAS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!"

"I highly doubt that," Uryu said and sat down.

"I think," Aizen said as he walked down the aisle, "the time has come to pick a leader. Arguments such as these are a waste of time and energy that should be used in figuring out how to survive. The first step is to have someone we can all follow."

"And I take it that you're volunteering," Harribel said.

"Miss Harribel, who better qualified to be your leader," Aizen said and leaned behind her seat and put both hands on her shoulders and began to rub. "I am the adult here. I was also your Vice Principal. I have the qualifications needed to make a good leader. What do you say?"

"I say that if you don't get your hands off of me soon, then you won't have hands," Harribel said and glared at him.

"I'm sorry," Aizen said and backed away. "But, I am the only qualified one here."

"BULLSHIT!" Apacci roared. "Just because you're an adult and a _man_ doesn't make you the only qualified one here."

"That's right," Tatsuki said. "I say that we elect whoever we want to put in charge."

"An excellent suggestion," Aizen said and smiled. "I put my nomination forward."

"Shit, I will as well," Ichigo said. "I led this group most of the way. That means that I should be considered as well."

"There's no way I'm going to follow you," Uryu said. "I will run as well."

"I nominate Starrk," Harribel said.

Starrk looked at her as though she was insane.

"Bel, I really don't want…"

"Hush up," Harribel said and put a finger on his lips. "Just trust me on this."

Starrk looked at her and nodded. He sat back and looked at the nail gun and sighed.

"Alright then, shall we start the vote?" Aizen asked. "Anyone who wants to vote for Mr. Kurosaki, please raise your hands." Orihime, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and one of the three remaining girls from the stairwell raised their hands. "My, that's five votes right there."

"SIX!" Dr. Fleur shouted from the driver's seat.

"I'm sorry, six votes," Aizen said and chuckled. "Anyone who wants to vote for Mr. Ishida, please raise your hands." Ulquiorra, Tatsuki, Rukia, and the other two girls from the stairwell raised their hands. "That's another five votes for Mr. Ishida. Sorry, Mr. Ishida, but you've lost."

"I know," Uryu said and turned his attention to out of the window.

"Now then, we have, Mr. Starrk. All in favor please raise your hands." Harribel raised her hand as did Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, Apacci, and three of the students who came with Aizen. Aizen's eyes narrowed as he looked at the three students. "Mr. Vega, I'm surprised that you, Mr. Carias, and Miss Ise would vote that way."

"Hey, it's our vote and we know him," Ggio Vega said.

"Exacta," Findor Carias said. "He's a good guy."

"That's right," Nanao Ise said as she adjusted her glasses. "Besides, why should you care how we vote?"

Aizen glared at the three mutinous students and his face hardened. However, he shook it away and smiled.

"You're right. I'm sorry," Aizen said. "That's seven votes for Mr. Starrk. Now then, there's me," Aizen said. "Who will vote for me?" All of the remaining thirteen hands shot up. Aizen smiled and looked over the faces of those who didn't vote for him. "That's thirteen votes for me. That means I win."

_**Karakura Government Offices-4:30 PM**_

"WE NEED TO EVACUATE NOW!" the aide said.

Councilor Shukuro Tsukishima took another sip of brandy and nodded.

"Have you been able to reach Councilor Hirako of the Visored Party or Councilor Ginjo of my own party?"

"No sir, we don't know where they are," the aide said.

"Such a pity," Tsukishima said as he stood up. "I trust they'll find their own way out of Karakura Town."

"I'm sure they will," the aide said. "The helicopter is waiting for you."

"Thank you. How many other members of the Council have evacuated?"

"Well over half of them. The others are trying their best to maintain some measure of order. They'll have to bring the Gotei Corps in just to control the crowds."

Tsukishima nodded. He knew that Commanding General Genryusai Yamamoto would do whatever it took to protect the nation and that meant defending their nation's leaders. He got up from behind his desk and looked down at the chaos below.

There were looters in the street firing off handguns and some even had shotguns. He saw a group of college students running through the streets naked and swinging baseball bats at the Walkers while drinking whiskey out of the bottle. He saw thieves breaking into stores and carrying off what they could carry.

The more practical ones were stealing canned food or ammunition and he smiled. The practical thieves were working for him. The moment the crisis broke out, he knew that the old world was gone forever. In the new world, the leaders would be those with access to the most food, water, shelter, and weapons. He intended to be at the top of the pecking order.

"Such a pity," Tsukishima whispered as he turned away from the sight. "Let's get going."

**End of Chapter 3**

**Preview:**

* * *

><p><strong>Rukia: I'M NOT GOING TO STAY ON THIS BUS A MOMENT LONGER! NOT AS LONG AS HE'S HERE!<strong>

**Ichigo: Don't be ridiculous.**

* * *

><p><strong>Tatsuki: LOOK OUT!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Aizen: We need to be strong and the only way to do that is to just stick together. Anyone who can't do that...doesn't belong with us and must be cut off.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Starrk: What do we do now?<strong>

**Tatsuki: We need to find a place to stay for a bit. But where should we go?**

**Dr. Fleur: We can always go to my place.**

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: Well, we're finally out of the High School. This chapter marks the first time in this story that I've gone to areas in the outside world aside from faux news reports. The parts of the anime "High School of the Dead" that I found really interesting were the parts of how society was collapsing and so some of those scenes, such as the bridge, will be used in upcoming chapters. Some of that showed up in this chapter, especially towards the end.<strong>

**This chapter also introduces my two main antagonists for this story who won't be interacting that much with each other, but both are extremely dangerous in their own way and will use different methods of control. Also, more of your favorite Bleach characters will be showing up in future chapters and some will become main characters when they're introduced. I already have plans for characters such as Grimmjow, Urahara, Yoruichi, Byakuya, and Szayel Aporro, but if you have any requests for characters, please include them in your review or you may PM me.**

**Thank you for reading, and please review.**


	5. Chapter 4: Danse Macabre

**Lazarus Rising**

**Chapter 4: Danse Macabre**

"_The danse macabre is a waltz with death."_

_-Stephen King, _Danse Macabre

_**4:40 PM**_

"That's thirteen votes for me," Aizen said. "That means I win."

He looked around at the students and then at Dr. Fleur.

"What are you looking at me for?" she asked. "I didn't vote for you."

"I know," he said. "I'm just hoping that none of you will cause me any trouble. After all, we have to survive and the best way to do that is to band together. Remember, you are all students of Karakura High and I trust that you will remember that you must show the solidarity that we expect of you."

Rukia glared at Aizen.

"Is everything alright, Rukia?" Orihime asked.

"Huh…yeah," she said and sighed. "I just…I just don't like Mr. Aizen. That's all."

"Oh…why don't you like him?"

"He's a politician."

"I don't get it."

"Never mind," Rukia said.

_**Above Karakura Town-4:40 PM**_

"This is Hornet calling Base," Sui-Feng said on the radio. "Do you read me, over?"

"This is Base calling Hornet, we read you loud and clear, over."

"I have visual confirmation of Lazari in Sectors 2-C, 2-D, and 2-E. There are a group of civilians barricading themselves in an office building in Sector 2-G, but I don't know how long they can last. I'm requesting for a rescue team to be sent to Sector 2-G, over."

"Request denied, Hornet. We are already spreading ourselves thin as it is. Reinforcements from Fort Seireitei are on the way, but Fort Seireitei is reporting an outbreak of their own, over."

"Shit," she muttered.

When the outbreak was first reported, the Gotei squads stationed just outside of Karakura Town acted immediately. They wouldn't wait for a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats to make the decision. It was an immediate emergency and they responded accordingly. However, when it became clear to the brass of those stationed at Karakura Town that they would need help they immediately called in support from the Karakura Air Force Academy.

Even though Sui-Feng was technically only a sophomore at the Academy she was one of the best pilots and was in the second group of cadets to head out. She remembered how when she first entered the Academy, each new cadet could choose their codename. She chose Hornet because that had been her nickname in her high school's martial arts team since she was so small and quick and agile. She was able to express those things in her flying.

Now, she was using her skills to help the Gotei know which areas were being hit hard, either by the Lazari or by looters. She checked the flight map on the control panel and saw that the center arrow representing her plane was now heading into Sector 2-H. She looked straight ahead and saw smoke rising from some of the apartment buildings. As the helicopter made its way forward, she saw people climbing to the roves in an effort to flag her down.

"Sorry folks, but I ain't the cavalry," she said and sighed.

She began to wonder how many people would still be alive when the sun set.

_**Five Days Before**_

_"Ichigo," Rukia said._

_"What is it?"_

_They were heading to school together. Ichigo could tell that something was bothering her, but he was too tired to pay much attention._

_"I need to make a decision about something. And I…I just don't know if I should go ahead with it or not."_

_"What is it?" Ichigo asked, not really all that interested._

_"I…I just found out that my brother, Byakuya received a promotion that he never told me about until yesterday. He's been made a Captain in the Gotei Corps."_

_"That's nice."_

_Rukia looked at Ichigo._

_"The thing is…I…I might have to move and…and my brother gave me the option of staying here and…"_

_"Oh…you should go for it," Ichigo said._

_"Are you…are you even paying attention to me?"_

_"Huh…I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."_

_"Never mind," Rukia sighed. "You just made my decision on another matter a whole lot easier."_

_**Karakura Town-4:43 PM**_

"Your brother got his promotion into the Gotei Corps," Ichigo whispered.

"What?" Rukia asked.

"The day you broke up with me. You asked me what you told me earlier that morning. I just remembered."

"So you were paying attention?"

"Now then, I trust that you will all come to realize that I am the one best suited to lead you in these troubled times," Aizen said.

"Yes you are, sir," Kira said.

Many of the other students who followed Aizen nodded except for the three who did not vote for him. Ichigo noticed that Harribel was glaring at Aizen and then her gaze shifted to him.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Oh…uh…I was just…"

"I can't take it anymore," Rukia said.

"What are you…?"

"STOP THE BUS!" Rukia shouted.

Dr. Fleur slammed her foot on the brakes and the bus came to a stop.

"What is it?" Dr. Fleur asked.

"Just open the door," Rukia said.

The door opened and Rukia rushed towards it. Ichigo ran after her and grabbed her arm.

"Rukia, what's wrong?"

"I'M NOT GOING TO STAY ON THIS BUS A MOMENT LONGER! NOT AS LONG AS HE'S HERE!" she shouted and pointed at Aizen.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ichigo said. "You're being completely unreasonable about this."

"Oh…is that right? Listen up, Ichigo. Yesterday, I thought that my life was getting better. I actually had a boyfriend who cared about me. This morning, all of that went out the window. First the world became like one of those horror movies by someone like George Romeo."

"That's George A. Romero," Keigo said.

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP, KEIGO!" Rukia shouted. She turned her attention back to Ichigo. He flinched at the rage in her eyes. "Then, my boyfriend gets his head bashed in by my ex-boyfriend. I almost get made into my classmates' dinner. Now, I'm stuck on the same bus as the two people in the world who I hate the most, you and Mr. Aizen."

"That doesn't make sense," Ichigo said as he hurried onto the street. "What did I or Mr. Aizen ever do to you?"

"Ichigo, you never paid as much attention to me as I would have liked. Do you have any idea how miserable I was being stuck in a meaningless relationship?"

"If you want to hate me then hate me," Ichigo said. "But why do you hate Mr. Aizen?"

Rukia was about to reply, before she was interrupted.

"LOOK OUT!" Tatsuki called out.

They turned and saw a truck swerving out of control. They were shocked to see Walkers clinging onto it and climbing on it.

"That's…impossible," Ichigo muttered.

"FUCK THAT! JUST RUN!" Rukia shouted and grabbed Ichigo.

"TAKE COVER!" Tatsuki shouted as she got back onto the bus. "Dr. Fleur, DRIVE!"

Tatsuki held onto the railing as the bus rushed backwards. Ichigo grabbed Rukia and then jumped, holding her, into one of the side alleys. The truck a fire hydrant and a high-pressured fountain of water gushed into the air. The truck caught on something and flipped onto its side. The Walkers that were clinging onto the truck flew. The outside walls of the buildings were painted with a combination of blood and brain matter by the force at which they were flying. As the truck skid, it left behind a trail of blood and broken bodies that would not be getting up. Sparks flew and some landed in the trail of gasoline, setting the road on fire.

Ichigo and Rukia rushed out of the alley and saw that their path to the bus was blocked.

"ICHIGO!" Tatsuki called out. "RUKIA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"WE'RE FINE!" Ichigo called back. "BUT WE HAVE NO WAY BACK TO YOU!"

"THEN HEAD TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER! WE'LL MEET YOU THERE IF NOT BEFORE! NOW GET GOING!"

"ALRIGHT!" Ichigo yelled back and saw figures shambling towards them. "Time to go, Rukia," he said.

Ichigo and Rukia began to run.

_**Headline News-4:45 PM**_

"It has been confirmed that the dead are coming back to life and committing acts of murder. The cause for this situation is unknown at this time.

"In other news, the President of the United States has declared a State of Martial Law throughout the United States. The declaration was sent out moments after the President and the First Family were evacuated from the White House."

_**Karakura Town-5:10 PM**_

The sky was starting to take on the bruise colors as the sun began to sink on the first day of the End. Smoke and fire continued to rise from various parts of the city and the sounds of gunshots and explosions were still mixed with the screams.

Ichigo and Rukia continued to run through the nearly-deserted streets. So far they were fortunate not to have encountered a large horde of the Walkers. However, the empty streets only made things unnerving for them.

"Where is everyone?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "We'll have to find a place to hold up for the night."

"Can't we just keep moving?"

Rukia did not like the idea of holing-up for any period of time. There was always the chance that they might be trapped and unable to escape.

"No," Ichigo said. "Well, I suppose we could, but then we run the risk of running into something in the dark. It's safer to just hole up at least for the night."

Rukia thought about it and nodded. As much as she didn't like it, she knew that Ichigo was right. If they kept moving at night there was no way of telling what they could run into. There was so much about the Walkers that they didn't know about.

"Come on," Ichigo said. "We can hide in a convenient store or something."

"Ichigo," Rukia whispered. "I'm…I'm sorry. It's my fault that we're not with the others."

"I'm sorry too," Ichigo said. "I…I shouldn't have called you a bitch. I guess…we're both scared."

Rukia nodded and smiled a little.

"It's somehow comforting to know I'm not the only one," Rukia whispered. "Now, let's get going. We don't want to get caught in the middle of something."

_**The Bus-5:10 PM**_

Dr. Fleur tapped her finger on the steering wheel. A sea of cars and people on foot and bike and motorcycles surrounded them in an exodus to cross the Karakura River. The back-roads had been opened until they reached the main streets. Then everything became clogged. Overhead helicopters and planes kept their vigil. Gotei soldiers were mixed with the local authorities, distinguished by their black-and-white uniforms.

"ATTENTION, ATTENTION," the voice over the loudspeakers began again. "ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO REMAIN IN THEIR VEHICLES. I REPEAT, ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO REMAIN IN THEIR VEHICLES."

"They must have a voice recording on a loop or something," Sung-Sun said.

"Yeah, and it's fucking annoying," Mila Rose snarled.

Tatsuki sighed as she looked out the window. She could see people running, carrying whatever they could. Some were going down the embankment to the river. She could see police officers in their dark-blue uniforms rushing past to help protect the growing crowds of refugees from the Walkers.

"I'm sure they're alright," Orihime said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Tatsuki said and sighed.

She looked to where Aizen was sitting and was not surprised to see him whispering sweet nothings to one of the girls who came with his group.

"It's going to be alright," Aizen soothed. "Everything is going to be just fine, Loly, just as long as we stick together."

She looked away and turned to look at Harribel who was deep in thought. Starrk was looking out the window.

"At this rate," Starrk said, "we might as well be moving backwards."

"That's a major problem," Harribel whispered. "Vehicles may be good to have since they can go faster than most other types of transportation and can be used for protection, but they take too much damn space. Also, they can become a hindrance on main stretches of road, especially with a traffic block like this."

"Do you think we should just walk?" Starrk asked.

"We'll see," Harribel said. "Ichigo and Rukia will have an easier time getting around since they're on foot."

In the distance they heard another explosion.

"Holy shit," Keigo said. "That sounded as if it was close."

Mizuiro rushed to one of the windows near the back and looked. In the distance he could make out a wall of fire and smoke rising into the air. It was from one of the train platforms. More screams and gunshots rose and people began to run even faster. Mizuiro watched in surprise as an old woman was pushed by the fleeing masses behind her. The woman cried out as she fell to the ground and was trampled on. A young mother trying to comfort her child was pushed into the side of one of the cars and sent sprawling. She was trying to protect her child from being crushed.

"MOVE IT BITCH!" someone shouted and kicked the woman in the side.

"MOVE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" one of the officers shouted into a bullhorn. "MOVE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!"

"That's not going to happen," Tatsuki muttered. "They're too afraid."

"Hey, Tatsuki," Orihime whispered. "What do you think's going to happen to us?"

"I don't really know."

Outside, further back, the line of Gotei and emergency response teams were busy setting up make-shift barricades. Police Captain Rudobon Chelute was giving orders while looking at the map of Karakura Town he had with him. There were markings showing where accident areas were located along with police barricades that had already been established.

"POLICE UNIT 5, LINE YOUR VEHICLES ACROSS THE INTERSECTION OF RIVER AVE. AND MARCUS ST." he shouted. "USE THE WRECK AREAS AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF RIVER AVE. WITH FIRST AND FIFTH STREETS FOR THE PERIMETER! DO NOT ALLOW ANY MORE REFUGEES INTO THIS AREA!"

_We have to be practical,_ he thought. _We can't save everyone. All we can do now is keep the Hostiles from breaking through._

He walked back to his own vehicle and brought out his headset. He reached to the police band radio and turned it to channel 6.

"This is Police Captain Rudobon Chelute. Can anyone read me, over?"

He listened to the static coming in on the channel. Then the static cleared.

"I read you loud and clear," the voice on the other end said. "What's your position, over?"

"I'm currently on River Ave. close to Marcus St. I just heard that there was a train derailment at Karakura station. What's the situation?"

"How the fuck should I know? We haven't heard anything over there. Assume it's lost. Over and out."

Rudobon looked at the police band in surprise and shook his head.

_Shit, another means of escape is gone,_ he thought.

"Sir, what's going on?" one of the police officers asked.

"Our means of escape are shrinking," Rudobon said.

He walked over to the embankment and looked into the river where people were starting to swim in a desperate attempt to reach the other side. He began to wonder how many more avenues of escape would remain available. He returned to his vehicle and opened the glove compartment. He looked at the extra ammunition he kept there and grabbed it.

_Just in case,_ he thought. _Make sure to save the last bullet for yourself._

_**Karakura Town-5:15 PM**_

"I think this place will be good enough," Ichigo whispered.

Rukia looked at the gas station and then looked around. So far there was no one about. However, they did see some Walkers shambling through the streets. She was surprised that despite the number of animals that were out, such as cats and dogs, they weren't going for them. She couldn't understand that part. In most of the horror movies she saw they would go after any animals that were nearby.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Huh…yeah," Rukia said.

"Is everything alright?"

Rukia wanted to yell that of course everything was not alright, but she looked at the Walkers and knew that yelling was a bad idea. She wouldn't do something idiotic like what Ichigo did at the school. Instead she only shook her head.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ichigo muttered.

_Oh stop with the macho bullshit,_ Rukia screamed in her mind. _It's getting so fucking annoying._

She kept her mouth shut and watched as Ichigo opened the door as slowly as he could. For a moment, Rukia was afraid that the mechanical DING-DONG that usually accompanied an opening door for gas station doors would sound out. If that happened, then the Walkers would converge on them and that was the last thing they wanted. However, there was no noise. Rukia sighed in relief and followed Ichigo inside.

"Are you hungry?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Rukia said.

"Alright, I'll see what's still good to eat."

Rukia nodded and looked outside. She saw that herds of Walkers were starting to head in the direction of the Karakura River or in whatever direction gunfire was coming from. Somewhere in the distance she heard the wailing of an emergency siren. She saw a small group of people rushing out of one of the surrounding buildings and start running.

_What are they doing?_

She saw that some in the group had baseball bats and one had a shotgun. However, they all looked as if they were hopped-up on something. Their faces were filled with excitement and glee.

"DIE MOTHERFUCKERS!" one of them shouted and brought out a machine pistol and start shooting.

Rukia ducked to the floor. She closed her eyes and put her hands over her head. Outside, more gunshots came. The group was still yelling. She just couldn't understand how some people could just do something as idiotic as drawing attention to themselves when there were hordes of Walkers outside. They would only be surrounded.

"Rukia, Rukia, what's going on?" Ichigo asked as he came back to where she was lying on the floor.

"Outside," she muttered.

Ichigo looked outside and saw the group. He was not surprised to see that they were trying to break through the circling ranks. However, they were either too high on drugs or too far gone in fear or maybe both to even notice the gaps that were still open among the Walkers.

"Shit, they're too far gone," he muttered.

However, he was wrong. Some of the group did notice the openings. He watched as their leader, a tall and scrawny man with long black hair and an eye patch gestured to some of them. He was quickly followed by a young man with messy dirty blonde hair and a few others in the group. However, it was clear that the others didn't notice and the Walkers were ignoring those who escaped to go after those who were now completely trapped. The screams of excitement did not falter even as the Lazari began to plunge their fingers and teeth into flesh.

"What's going on?" Rukia moaned.

"Don't look," Ichigo said as he sat on the floor. "Don't look."

_**Piece of Graffiti Spray-Painted on the Front Sign of a Church**_

JESUS IS RISEN

AND BOY IS HE HUNGRY

_**Channel 5 News-5:20 PM**_

"This just in: the nation is now in a state of Total Emergency. Martial Law has been declared and the use of firearms has been authorized for authorities around the nation. All civilians are advised to seek shelter at any of the National Emergency Response Centers, Emergency Relief Camps, or at any of the following locations that will be shown at the bottom of the screen. If you are unable to reach any of the emergency shelters, get indoors, preferably a place with food and water. For our viewers at home, you are advised to seal all doors and windows in your home. You are also advised not to open the door to anyone. I repeat, do not open the door to anyone."

_**River Avenue- 5:30 PM**_

"ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO GO TO THE CHECKPOINT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" Police Chief Ginrei Kuchiki shouted into the bullhorn.

He put the bullhorn down and looked at the checkpoint. The chain-link fence that had been erected stood at one end of the bridge with concrete barricades set up in front of it. Behind it, medics were examining people as they were coming in. Those who were not showing signs of infection were allowed through while those who had bite marks were put into a quarantine area. Those that turned were put down right away.

He didn't like the idea of having to put down civilians as though they were nothing more than dogs, but it was better than the alternative. He knew that he had to do what he had to do to ensure that some would survive.

"Better for the many to die than all to die," he whispered.

"Sir, we just received an order from headquarters," one of his fellow officers said.

"What did it say, Rikichi?"

"Sir, they've ordered that anyone who has been bitten is to be put down immediately. There was an incident over at Bridge 5 where one of the refugees was bitten on the bridge and immediately turned. The officers present put down all who were turned."

Ginrei Kuchiki sighed.

"I understand. Tomorrow night, I'll be stationed at Bridge 4 and I'm sure that they'll order that all bridges be closed down by then."

"Why, sir?"

Ginrei only closed his eyes. He didn't want to say what he knew aloud.

_It's because Karakura Town is lost,_ he thought._ It's better for many to die instead of everyone. But they won't see it that way. Damn, they should have just nuked the cities and be done with it._

_**United States-5:47 PM**_

BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

ALL SYSTEMS OF TRAVEL TO AND FROM THE UNITED STATES ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. FURTHERMORE, THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY IS TO ENSURE THAT SPREAD OF THE LAZARUS VIRUS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

_**Pacific Ocean, on board the **_**Neptune**_**-5:48 PM**_

Isshin Kurosaki watched the news in his cabin. Ever since word began to spread on the cruise ship that there was some kind of global emergency he knew that he had to find out more. The television screen showed a map of the United States with the areas surrounding major cities like New York City and Las Angeles and Chicago completely red.

"Oh God," he whispered.

He picked up the phone next to the bed and tried to reach either Ichigo or Yuzu or Karin, but so far no one had answered. He whispered a prayer as he tried to call his children, but again he could not reach out. The number of phone calls from the ship was just too many.

_**Karakura Town-7:42 PM**_

Ichigo looked at the streets. The street lights were on and that meant that the power was still on. However, he knew that the power would not last much longer than a couple of more days without someone at the controls. He watched as the Walkers outside continued their prowl. The area where the small group had been surrounded was now bathed in blood and gore. He could see the head of a woman turned towards him, her eyes were completely gazed and her mouth was opening and closing like some kind of fish.

_So it doesn't matter how much they eat,_ he thought. _If the brain's still undamaged they can keep in kicking._

Some of the other partially eaten victims were making the rounds by any means necessary. The torso of one man was just flopping around while another was trying to pull itself up onto the bits of bone sticking out of the stumps where his legs once were. It all seemed like something from a nightmare, but this nightmare was very real.

"How is it?" Rukia asked.

"They're still just wandering about. It's as though they don't know where to go."

Rukia looked outside and shuddered when she saw the head still opening-and-closing its mouth. The rest of the woman's body was just too badly damaged to be of any use.

"Why are you looking at that thing?" Rukia asked.

"Well, I think that having one of these Walkers just being a head would be an excellent way to find out how long it takes for one to starve to…well…death."

"That's fucked up," Rukia said and sat on the floor.

She grabbed one of the packages of Twizzlers and ripped it open. Ichigo looked at her and was relieved that she was still following their rule of eating nothing that could make a noise. That pretty much left all of the chips and hard candies out. He went to the fridge and opened it. He took out a bottle of milk and closed the door.

"Tomorrow," he said, "we'll head to the Karakura River."

"Why?"

"Well, we need to find a way to reunite with the others. I have a feeling that the bridges are now on of the few options left for them."

Rukia thought about it and nodded.

"Yeah, and what do we do after that?"

"We find Yuzu and Karin. Starrk's little sister will be with them."

"What makes you sure Starrk will go with us?"

"I know he will," Ichigo said. "Tatsuki and Orihime will also come with us. The others…" he shrugged.

"Do we even want a large group?"

"Safety in numbers," Ichigo said. "Now, tell me. Why don't you like Aizen?"

Rukia looked at him and then shook her head.

"It's none of your business."

"You know I won't stop asking you until you tell me."

"Let's just say that some of the rumors about him are true," she said and shuddered.

Ichigo didn't understand what she was talking about. He was about to ask her something when they heard a noise coming from outside. Ichigo couldn't be sure, but he thought it sounded like motors. He got up and looked outside. The Walkers were being drawn to the noise and then came the motorcycles. He saw that some of the riders were holding onto swords and baseball bats. They were cutting down the Walkers and forming a perimeter around the gas station. He couldn't see who they were since they were all wearing helmets with the face masks down as well as protective gear on their legs and arms.

He saw as they got off their bikes and one of them began to gesture to each member and then pointed as though giving them instructions. He saw that the group nodded in agreement and saw two of them make their way to the gas station.

"Quick, hide," Ichigo whispered and he and Rukia ducked into the back just as the door opened.

_**The Bus-7:40 PM**_

The sky above was the color of a bruise. Inside the bus, Harribel kept a watch on Aizen and his group. Outside, the screams were dying down a little bit, but gunshots could still be heard at sporadic intervals. She had a feeling that the authorities must have set up some kind of barrier between the refugees and the Walkers, but it would only be a matter of time before that barrier was overrun.

"We need to be strong," Aizen said. "And the only way to do that is to just stick together. Anyone who can't do that…" he paused and looked at the eyes staring at him with reverence. He smiled and raised his arms into the air like an Evangelical at a prayer meeting. "…doesn't belong with us and must be cut off."

There were murmurs of approval at that. Izuru Kira looked at Aizen as though he was some kind of messiah. Harribel was disturbed that some of those who had come with them from the group they rescued were starting to look at Aizen in that way. The only one they rescued who wasn't buying into it was Chad.

"This is not good," Ulquiorra muttered.

Harribel looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"How long has Mr. Aizen been talking like this?" he asked.

"I don't know," Starrk said. "But he's starting to sound like one of those recruiters for some weird cult."

"That's exactly what it is," Uryu said from his seat. "Look at them. He's got them all wrapped around his finger."

"I just hope that it doesn't become a case of Jim Jones syndrome," Tatsuki said. "We should get out of here before they break out the Kool-Aid."

Orihime frowned at Aizen and shuddered slightly.

"It reminds me of that video we watched in our Cultural Studies class," she said. "You know, the one about the rise of the Nazis."

Tatsuki frowned and looked back at Aizen.

"You must show that you are worthy to survive and help create the New World," Aizen said. "You are the future. I beg of you to us the way into a brighter tomorrow."

"WE WILL!" one of the boys who Tatsuki recognized as one of the members of the school's basketball team shouted. "But, please, show us how to become worthy."

"Oh…I will," Aizen said.

"I think that maybe we should get out of here," Dr. Fleur said as she approached the group.

"But, wouldn't it be best to just stay here for now?" Keigo asked.

"We'll wait until dawn," Harribel said. "That way we can see where we're going."

"Yeah," Starrk said. "Besides, it looks as though they're winding down for now."

They turned and watched as Aizen passed around the box of snacks that Starrk took from the vending machines in the teacher's lounge.

"Eat your fill," Aizen said. "Then get some rest. Tomorrow will be a new day for us."

_**Karakura Town-7:45 PM**_

"Grab anything that doesn't need to be refrigerated," one of the bikers said.

"Uh…like what?"

"Are you always this stupid, Nakeem? Grab the bottled waters along with softer foods like bread and peanut butter."

"Can I take the nachos?"

"No, the Boss told us not to grab anything that'll make a crunching noise when they're being eaten. So, chips and crackers are out."

"But Shawlong, I love nachos."

"And I'm telling you no. Now fill your saddlebags with bread while I get the bottled water. Then, we'll check the back and see if there are any small gas tanks we can put into the jeep as soon as Edorad comes back from his scouting mission."

"Yeah, yeah," Nakeem moaned.

Shawlong shook his head. He opened one of the fridge doors and grabbed the larger water bottles and put them into his saddle bag. When his bags were full, he put the bag down and looked over to where Nakeem was pushing loaves of bread and jars of peanut butter into his bags. He looked outside and saw a jeep coming in and smiled.

"Hey, let's see if they have any of those crates that we can use to put them in," Shawlong said. "That way we can get it all into the jeep."

"Alright," Nakeem said as he put his saddlebags down.

The two men walked down the small hallway that led to the bathrooms. Shawlong looked at the door that was marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and nodded. He turned on his flashlight and opened the door. She shone the light in and thought he saw movement, but he couldn't be sure. He held a hand out to stop Nakeem.

"What is it?"

"I thought I saw something, but it moved too quickly to be one of the Romeros."

"Maybe it is a Romero," Nakeem moaned. "Remember what happened to Clark?"

"He was careless," Shawlong said and he pulled out the revolver he kept holstered by his side. "And he didn't have this."

Shawlong moved his hand to the light switch and turned it on. He aimed his revolver to where he thought he saw the movement. He smiled when he saw the two shadows on the floor. He gestured to Nakeem and they rushed to the pile of boxes. Shawlong kicked the wall of boxes down and saw the two figures sprawl on the floor as the empty boxes crashed on them.

"PLEASE, DON'T SHOOT," the orange-haired boy. "WE'RE NOT INFECTED!"

"Well, this is a surprise," Shawlong said. "Nakeem, get the Boss. He'll want to see this."

"You got it," Nakeem said.

"Wh-what are you going to do with us?" the girl asked.

"That completely depends on what the Boss has to say," Shawlong said.

_**The Bus-8:10 PM**_

Starrk kept a grip on the nail gun. He used the small flashlight that was in the bus's emergency kit to see how many nails he had left and was not happy to find that he only had two whole nail clips left plus the three that were in the clip he had put in before they left the school.

"What is it?" Harribel asked.

"We may not have enough to last us very long if we leave," he said.

"Are you saying that we shouldn't leave the bus?"

"No, I think we should still abandon Aizen and take anyone who wants to with us. Perhaps I should just put a nail into Aizen's head. Something about him is just wrong."

"Try everything about him," Harribel muttered as she looked to where Aizen was sleeping. "He's scum and they all know it. That's why I don't understand why they're following him now. Izuru always said that he felt bad vibes coming from him and now he's like Aizen's right-hand guy."

"I can understand it," Starrk said. "I didn't mean that I'd join them," he said when he saw Harribel glaring at him. "It's just that…. Look, I saw the way that Chad and the others we rescued looked at Dr. Fleur when we met them. She was faculty. She was someone in authority. Aizen's also an authority figure as well, but one higher up on the food chain. He led sixteen, well fifteen, students to safety. Plus, the things he's telling them make them feel empowered. All of those things make him very, very alluring and very, very dangerous."

"Wow, you actually understand that bit. I'm impressed."

"I learned it from…uh…from someone…"

"Who is this someone?"

"Well," Starrk said. "You see my parents were really into survival programs and so one summer they had me and Lilynette go to one that was run by members of a Special Forces unit called White Snake."

"Wait a minute," Harribel said. "Are you saying that you received Special Forces' training?"

"Well…I guess," Starrk said and shrugged. "My sister took to a lot of the things, especially hot wiring a car."

"Are you sure it was a survivalist program and not a grand-theft auto camp?"

"I'm sure," Starrk said. "It wasn't all just learning how to shoot guns and turn ordinary household appliances into lethal weapons. It was also how to blend-in with your surroundings and how to spot likely threats and how to get by in every-day life. They had lectures from sociologists and anthropologists and criminologists and…"

"I think I get the picture," Harribel said. "Man, your parents must have been a part of those right-wing extremist groups."

"Actually, they weren't. They were sociologists and wanted to examine various groups for a paper they were writing."

Harribel looked at him and shook her head. She just couldn't believe that this boy who had the reputation of being one of the laziest people in school was actually trained by former Special Forces. It was like something out of one of those Bourne novels she loved to read.

"This is just too weird," she muttered.

_**Karakura Town-7:57 PM**_

"You do realize this is your fault?" Rukia asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the one who moved and that's probably how they caught us."

"Ah, but now you're saying that there's a possibility that it _wasn't_ my fault."

"Oh shut up," Shawlong said. "If you two are going to keep arguing like that, then I'll have to gag you. Do you realize how many Walkers are nearby?"

"Sorry," Ichigo and Rukia muttered.

"Just don't argue like that in front of the Boss. He might take it as an insult and decide to beat you up just to get you to shut up, although he might actually do that anyways."

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other. They were about to say something when the door opened and in came a rather well-toned man, roughly college-aged, with blue hair. He stopped when he saw Ichigo and Rukia and cocked his head slightly. He turned to Shawlong.

"So, what do we have here?" he asked.

"Grimmjow, Nakeem and I found these two in here when we were getting supplies," Shawlong said.

"We weren't doing anything wrong," Rukia said. "We were just trying to find a place to hide for the night."

"Is that so?" Grimmjow asked and grinned at them. "Well, looks like you found a bad place to hide. I mean look at what it's like out there. The dead are coming back to life and preying on the living. Shit, those left are starting to prey on each other. Right now they're fighting over worthless shit like cash and jewelry and TVs and iPods, but soon they'll be fighting with each over those things that really matter: food, water, weapons, and pretty soon…pretty girls," he said and looked at Rukia.

"What are you saying?" Ichigo asked and put an arm around Rukia.

"Tch…don't worry," Grimmjow said. "I ain't gonna hurt your girlfriend. I haven't gotten that low yet, but I wouldn't be a bit surprise if some aren't there. I saw a businessman. Well I think he was a businessman, go on a shooting rampage downtown. The thing is that he wasn't shooting at the Walkers. He was shooting at his own colleagues; shouting about how they would be his sacrifices for the god of Death and that he would be spared. Well, as so often times happens with making sacrifices and praying, it didn't work. The guy was dragged down by a bunch of those things.

"Think about it. That only happened in the first day. Imagine what's going to happen tomorrow."

"I…I don't believe you," Rukia said.

"Fine, that's not my problem," Grimmjow said. He paused as though thinking of something. "Look, I can tell from your uniforms that you're still high school students. Now, we went past a high school, Karakura High, and it was crawling with Walkers and the front gates looked as though something rammed through them. I have a feeling that you two got separated from your group."

Rukia and Ichigo looked surprised. Grimmjow nodded and smiled.

"Look. I'm not a bad guy. For tonight, you can be my guests. You'll get comfy beds and a hot meal and even a shower. Then, in the morning, we'll send you off on your merry way to find the rest of your friends. What do you say?"

"I say that I don't trust you," Ichigo said.

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo and then laughed.

"Damn right you shouldn't trust me," Grimmjow said. "Hell, you shouldn't really trust each other. But, that's the problem. If you want to survive you have to trust someone. Nobody survives alone, regardless of what you may have read in _Robinson Crusoe_. You need to have that one thing to cling to help keep you sane. Hell, Crusoe had Friday to keep him company. That doesn't mean he completely trusted him though."

"So, we can trust you not to slit our throats while we're asleep?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, the lady here's more useful alive than dead if you know what I mean," Grimmjow said. "You on the other hand…"

"Ichigo," Rukia whispered. "Maybe we should go. We don't have anything that's worth stealing."

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "He and his gang could be insane."

"I don't think so," Rukia said. "I would think that the ones who we need to be wary of are the ones who say 'You can trust me.'"

Ichigo thought about it. He turned to look at Grimmjow.

"Alright, we'll accept your offer."

Grimmjow frowned a little and looked at Ichigo suspiciously.

"Don't worry. You can't trust me either," Ichigo said. "Shit, I've killed some of my classmates today. I even killed my best friend."

Grimmjow nodded.

"Alright then," he said. "I'm relieved to hear it. That means that you've got what it takes to survive. I like that."

_**The Bus-Z-Day + 1- 5:23 AM**_

"Alright, let's do this," Tatsuki whispered.

She looked at Dr. Fleur who opened the bus door. They were only a few feet closer to the bridge than they were when they got into the traffic jam roughly 12 hours before. The Gotei and authorities who were stationed here were doing what they could, but now the panic had grown. They could make out Walkers shambling among the cars. People were either running away or locking themselves in their cars.

Gunshots rang out in the pre-dawn moments. The sky was beginning to lighten a bit and that was a relief. It would make things a lot easier for their escape. Keigo was holding the box filled with the remaining snakes and drinks they got while Uryu was getting one of his few remaining arrows ready. However, they wouldn't leave yet. They needed to know who would come with them and who would stay on the bus with Aizen.

Tatsuki looked at those who were still sleeping and saw Aizen looking back at her. She flinched when she saw the hatred in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he said and stood up.

"Well, good morning," Tatsuki said in a cheerful tone that was as fake as a three-dollar bill. "I hope you slept well."

"Oh…I did," Aizen smiled. He turned to face the rest of the class and clapped his hands. "ATTENTION CLASS," he shouted. Tatsuki grinned. She hoped that somehow the others would wake up before they left. "ATTENTION!"

"Uh…what is it, sir?" Kira asked.

"What's going on?" Mr. Basketball asked.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it would appear as though Miss Arisawa has proven herself not worthy of being in our group. However, I want you all to see how a leader handles a situation like this." He turned to face Tatsuki. "Miss Arisawa, may I ask where you're going?"

"Oh, I'm just going out," she said.

"I don't remember granting you permission to leave."

"Mr. Aizen, if I recall we held an election and you won the vote to be our leader. Of course, that doesn't mean that we voted for some kind of tyrant."

Aizen flinched at that and his smile faltered a little. Then he regained his composure.

"You're right. Forgive me. I misspoke. What I meant is that there are Walkers out there. By having the door opened like that you endanger the lives of everyone on this bus."

"It's a good thing that Uryu's standing at the ready in case Walkers decide they want to catch a lift as well as a morning meal," Tatsuki said.

"What are you doing?" Mizuiro whispered.

"Trust me," Tatsuki said. She turned her attention to the others. "I don't want to be the buzzkill here, but we've decided not to stay with you. We will leave the bus though since that seems to be your domain now. If any of you wish to join us, you may," she said.

"Who's going?" Nanao asked.

Tatsuki raised her hand along with Orihime and Ulquiorra. Uryu only nodded his head since he was still holding onto his bow and arrow. Starrk, Harribel, Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, Apacci, and Chad raised their hands. Mizuiro raised his hand while Keigo could only nod. Dr. Fleur raised her own hand as she got out of the driver's seat.

"Then I'm going," Nanao said.

"Exacta," Findor said as he moved towards them.

"Wait for me," Ggio said and rushed to the front.

"I see," Aizen said and looked at them as though marking each one. "Miss Ise, Mr. Carias, Mr. Vega, I'm surprised. I thought we had a special bond since I saved your lives."

"Sorry, but we don't," Nanao said.

"No es exacto," Findor said. "We just happened to bump into your group. We would have found our own way out."

"Yeah, and besides," Ggio said. "The things you're saying sound insane. The rest of you, use your brains for once. He's trying to make it sound like you're in control, but you're not. He's only…"

"SHUT UP!" Izuru shouted. "Mr. Aizen is a good man and you don't know anything."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Ggio said. "But don't blame us when he breaks out the Kool-Aid."

"Is there anyone else?" Tatsuki asked.

No one else raised their hands or stepped forward. Aizen glared at them. He smiled and began to walk towards them, taking slow and even steps.

"You're free to leave, Miss Arisawa. However, Dr. Fleur and Miss Harribel, you're not free to leave. Dr. Fleur, would you abandon your students like this? That's a shame. You're a physician. You're supposed to help the students. Miss Harribel, I've seen your grades in workshop class. You're very gifted when it comes to your mechanical expertise. Miss Tristan always spoke so highly of you and how you could fix engines. We need both of you. If you leave us and if something were to happen to us then…"

Aizen didn't have a chance to finish. At that moment a nail brushed against his cheek and embedded itself in one of the seats. Aizen put his fingers up to the wound where a trickle of blood was now inching its way down his cheek. He looked at Starrk in surprise.

"Don't you even move," Starrk growled. "I missed on purpose, but the next one won't miss."

"Mr. Starrk," Aizen said, his eyes were wide with hurt. "Why are you doing this? You're not this violent in school."

"Spare me," Starrk said. "I know why you want them. I've seen the way you look at the girls. I've seen that hungry look in your eyes, especially at Tia."

"What are you…?"

"STOP PRETENDING YOU DON'T KNOW! I know a lot more than you think. I know that everyone else thought me as the lazy one. I know how some of them mocked me behind my back, including you."

"I NEVER…"

"You did," Starrk said. "But you know what, I don't care about that. I never really cared about the things that you and the others said about me. The thing that really riled me up were the things they said about Tia."

Harribel looked in surprise at Starrk. She knew many of the things that people said about her just as she knew what they said about Starrk. Hell, she even said some of those cruel things about him. However, seeing him like this and knowing how much the things they said about her hurt him made her heart skip a beat and her stomach tighten.

"Starrk," she whispered.

"You think that I'm not violent? How many of my classmates do you think I killed yesterday? I'm more than capable of killing them when they're already dead, but I'm thinking that I might have to do it on the living as well. You said that we were free to choose our leader only yesterday. Well, as far as I'm concerned, Dr. Fleur and Tia don't want you as their leader.

"Tatsuki, take the lead. Uryu, keep your bow ready. Harribel and Dr. Fleur, get off immediately after Tatsuki and stay close to her. I'll bring up the rear."

Tatsuki shook her head and smiled.

"Sure thing," she said and leapt down the steps and onto the concrete.

Starrk kept his nail gun trained on Aizen as the others who were leaving got off. He backed away until he was in front of the door. He lowered the nail gun and pointed to Aizen.

"If you follow us, I'll kill you," he said and leapt onto the concrete.

He turned and closed the door behind them.

Inside the bus, Aizen stared where Starrk stood.

"Mr. Aizen," Izuru said.

Aizen didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes burned with hatred and his fingernails dug into the palm of his hands, breaking the skin. Small droplets of blood fell to the floor.

Outside, they began to run. Starrk saw that Harribel was waiting for him.

"Starrk," she whispered. "I…"

"It's alright," Starrk said. "Oh God, I…I can't believe I actually did that," he said. "For a moment I thought my heart was just going to jump right out of my chest. That's how scared I was."

"Yeah," she whispered and smiled. "Thank you."

"I…I just don't like seeing someone trying to boss my friends around," Starrk said.

"That's one of the reasons."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we were taking the vote for who should lead us," Harribel said. "That was one of the reasons why I nominated you. The other was purely practical."

"Oh," Starrk said.

"But you know, I could have taken care of myself," Harribel said.

"I know."

"Alright," Tatsuki said. "I think this is far enough from the bus. Now that we're off…"

"I know," Sung-Sun said.

"What do we do now?" Starrk asked.

"We need to find a place to stay for a bit," Tatsuki said. "But where should we go?"

"We can always go to my place," Dr. Fleur said. "My roommate is away for a bit and I don't know when she'll get back. Her boyfriend's in Switzerland right now, but he'll most likely be coming back when he can. Right now, I'm the only one there and the place is good-sized."

"I see," Starrk said. "Does it have a good view of the surrounding area?"

"Oh yeah, it's a penthouse suite," Dr. Fleur said. "So it has a great view of the river."

"Hmm, good sized and it has a good view. Is it by the river?" Starrk asked.

"Yes it is."

"Starrk, what are you getting at?" Tatsuki asked.

"Then it'll be a good place to get some R and R," he said. "The bus wasn't too comfortable and I'm sure that we'll be sore from sitting for so long. We need to…"

That was when they heard screaming. The turned and saw a large torrent of people weaving their way through the cars. Some were jumping from one car to another. They stood in horror as they saw what they were running from. It was a passenger bus, larger than the one they had left. It was veering out of control. They saw people leaning out of the windows, as though trying to escape only for hands that were the grey-color of the dead reaching for them. They heard screams and the moaning sounds of Walkers coming from inside the bus.

"RUN!" Tatsuki shouted. "STAY TOGETHER AND RUN!"

**End of Chapter 4**

**Preview:**

* * *

><p><strong>Rukia: Where are we going?<strong>

**Grimmjow: That's for me to know and for you to find out.**

* * *

><p><strong>Shawlong: Sir, are you sure you want to do this?<strong>

**Grimmjow: I'm not sure of anything anymore. However, I did promise them and I keep my promises.**

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo: Oh my God.<strong>

**Rukia: Why? Why did they do that?**

**Grimmjow: To keep the infection contained as best they can. Too bad they did it too late.**

* * *

><p><strong>Uryu: Well, this is a surprise.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.: Ah, good old Grimm-Kitty comes onto the scene. Also, did you notice the Nnoitora and Tesla cameo I had in this chapter? Those two will show up again later on in this story. <strong>

**Also, Season 2 of _The Walking Dead_ will be airing in a couple of weeks on AMC. For all of you Zombie fans out there, I highly recommend that you watch Season 1, available anywhere, it is an excellent series with some of the best Post-Zombie Apocalypse imagery I've seen since _28 Days Later_. I also recommend the original _Night of the Living__ Dead_ and_ Dawn of the Dead_, both directed by George A. Romero. **

**For excellent Zombie reading I highly recommend Brian Keene's _The Rising_ and the original work that helped to create the modern Zombie, "Herbert West, Reanimator" by H. P. Lovecraft (Yes, it was the basis for the film _Reanimator_, but it doesn't have a head-giving-head scene and I won't have a head-giving-head scene either since these Zombies are not capable of doing said feat. However, there will a case of head golf in the next chapter since I kinda set it up that way).**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


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